Beliefs and Ideals
by Morphea
Summary: Young pro-magic activists are made prisoner by Uther. When Merlin & Morgana defend their cause a little too fervently, Arthur becomes suspicious. But will he change his mind about magic when Gwen catches a weird and uncurable illness? Canon pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Young pro-magic activists are made prisoner by Uther. When Merlin & Morgana defend their cause a little too fervently, Arthur becomes suspicious. But will he change his mind about magic when Gwen catches a weird and uncurable illness?

**Author's notes:** This story takes place during series 2, right after the episode "Lancelot and Guinevere". There might be spoilers up to that episode. Canon pairings only (mostly Arthur/Gwen). English isn't my mother language, so in advance, my deepest apologies for any vocabulary/grammar mistake or inaccuracy.

* * *

In the dead of a moonless night, two silhouettes were advancing through Camelot's forest by the light of a torch. A man and a woman, both young, probably in their late teens, early twenties at most.

"We're going to be late," the woman complained.

"You make it sound like it's my fault," the man noted.

"Well it is! If you hadn't spent the whole afternoon trying to get that -"

"Hey, we haven't seen each other in months, could we not be at each other's throat yet?" he interrupted.

She abruptly gave a tense look above her shoulder.

"Did you hear something?" the man queried.

"No, but... I don't know, I feel a sort of... presence..."

"Probably just your imagination," he comforted. "Come on, there we are."

Both man and woman put their hoods up before entering the torch-lit clearing ahead of them, where some sort of gathering was going on. Nearly three dozens of other hooded figures were already there, split up in small groups, all engaged in quiet talks. It was hard to tell with the darkness of the night and the hoods hiding half their faces, but all of them seemed to be just as young as the two newcomers.

The man and woman blended into the crowd, and took part to the various ongoing discussions. New conversation topics started every minute, either about news, tips, or politics, but all were always related to the same theme: magic.

"I was on the road to Ingram the other week," some man was saying. "Guards patrol there on a regular basis, and arrest anyone carrying anything questionable or that looks remotely magic-related. Better be on the safe side and avoid the main road if you need to go there."

"I had to prepare an unguent for a bad burn," some woman was telling to another group, "but I couldn't find any chestnut, so I used acorns instead. It worked, though the effect was much weaker and slower than with chestnuts."

"I recently stumbled upon that incredible spell..."

"We spent some time there, the village is very welcoming. Lots of sympathizers."

One conversation in particular was getting quite passionate:

"Our grandparents didn't have to hide when they were our age. I say we should take action and get rid of Uther. Times were better for us before him, they'll be better again once he's gone!"

"Is that really how you want to make magic accepted all over the kingdom? By resorting to violence?"

"Magic is already used all over the kingdom! That's an open secret, and Uther is just too blind to realise it. He can't get rid of us all."

All of a sudden, clanking footsteps seemed to swoop down from a nearby hilltop.

"GUARDS! SCATTER!" someone cried out.

A wave of panic spread quickly among the crowd, and all ran away screaming as the Camelot guards drew their swords and ran after them. The unarmed civilians stood no chance against the trained soldiers, and they all fell dead one after the other, their throat sliced or their chest pierced.

One of them, the young man that had arrived late to the reunion, just got caught. A strong arm reached from behind and blocked his shoulders. He waited for the blow to come, but against all hope, the pressure on his shoulders was released and he heard the soldier fall on his knees.

The young man turned round and saw his female friend, dropping a large stick to the ground.

"Elias, run!" the woman told him as she, herself, started to run in the opposite direction, only to trip on a root a few seconds later.

She immediately picked herself up, but froze in fear when she gave a quick look over her shoulder. The soldier she had just hit with that stick was right behind her, his sword lifted above her head.

* * *

Morgana woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. She brought her hand to her mouth, still shaken by her so vivid nightmare. After a few seconds, she got up, slipped a dressing gown on, grabbed a candle and headed out of her room.

* * *

Merlin was woken by the sound of voices behind his bedroom's door. He gave a quick look at the window, afraid that he might be late again for his morning duties, but it was still the middle of the night.

Intrigued by this late commotion, he walked to the door and half-opened it silently, just enough for him to hear better.

"The screams, Gaius! And the blood! So much blood! It was all so real..." It was Morgana's voice, trembling and distressed. "And their fear, I could feel it as if it were mine!"

"It's all right, Morgana," Gaius soothed. "It's over now."

"No!" Morgana cried out. "You don't understand, they... they were slaughtered! They were quiet and harmless, and they just got killed right there!"

"Drink this, my child. This is a calming draught, it should help you get back to sleep."

"I don't want to get back to sleep! How could I after what happened?"

"Morgana, please be reasonable and drink this."

A silence followed, then the sound of someone drinking something. And then, Merlin heard a heavy sigh. It sounded like Gaius.

"Merlin, why don't you come over here instead of spying on us?"

Merlin hesitated briefly. Realising it was no use trying to pretend, he opened the door fully and sheepishly walked into his mentor's laboratory. He noticed Morgana quickly wipe her cheeks as he came in. Had she been crying?

"Now, my boy, why don't you make yourself useful and escort the Lady Morgana back to her room?"

Merlin nodded. "Sure."

A minute later, they were walking side by side down the castle's dark corridors, their path lit up only by the candle Merlin was holding. The silence between them was oppressive.

"Bad dream again?" Merlin finally asked tentatively.

Morgana nodded briskly. Her eyes were still wet with tears.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he invited, trying to look supportive.

She remained silent, at first. "There was a gathering in the forest," she eventually began. "I think they were warlocks and witches... They were talking about magic. Sharing knowledge and ideas, peacefully. And then, guards in Camelot's uniforms attacked them."

Then she fell silent again. From what he had heard her tell Gaius, Merlin could easily finish the story of what she had witnessed in what he could only assume had been a vision.

"It was just a nightmare," Merlin lied.

"No", she contested. "It was real, I... I was there... It felt just like I was..."

She suddenly came to a stop as she looked through a window.

"Morgana?" Merlin queried.

"This is the new moon... It happened tonight..."

"Let's keep moving, shall we?" he insisted, urging her forward.

"Merlin, they... They were young... They were all so young... Just like us..." Her gaze suddenly became distant. "Just like me... This is the sort of fate that awaits me, isn't it? When Uther finds out -"

"He'll never find out," Merlin assured as they finally reached the door to Morgana's room. "You need to forget about all that and to get some sleep, all right?"

"I'm not sure I can sleep any more tonight, even with the help of Gaius' potion."

"Promise me you'll try, at least?"

"All right, I'll try," Morgana agreed as she opened her door. She turned back after only one step in. "Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"They didn't even do anything to defend themselves... They just... panicked and ran all over the place... Why wouldn't they defend themselves? Why wouldn't they use magic?"

Merlin shrugged. "I don't know. You should rest."

She nodded. "Yes, you're right. Thanks, Merlin. Good night."

"Good night, Morgana."

Once she had closed her door, he let go a sigh he had been holding for a few minutes already, and headed back to his own room. Gaius was waiting for him there.

"Is she safely back in her room?"

"Yes. Though that vision seems to have really affected her."

"And with good reason. It looks like Uther is trying to get rid of all of the kingdom's sorcerers through quite extreme means."

Merlin briefly wondered if Arthur knew about his father's deeds.

"You have to be extremely careful, Merlin," Gaius urged.

"I'm always careful," the warlock contested. When the older man raised an eyebrow, he added: "Most of the time, anyway."

"'_Most of the time_' won't be enough. You can't let Uther have any suspicion about you or about Morgana. And you can't let Arthur know about it either."

"I know, you warned me a thousand times already."

"This is no laughing matter, Merlin," Gaius scolded.

"I'm sorry, I..." Merlin sighed. "Look, I'm tired. I promise to be careful. At all times. Can I get back to bed now?"

"Of course."

Merlin headed right back to his room and to his bed. However, there was something that still puzzled him. It was the last thing Morgana told him about her vision: these people hadn't tried to defend themselves. Why wouldn't sorcerers use magic to save their own lives?


	2. Chapter 2

When Merlin woke up again, it was clearly morning this time: the sun was shining brightly through his window. Another clue was the crown prince of Camelot standing in front of his door, his arms crossed over his chest, and looking quite pissed at him.

"I'm late, aren't I?" Merlin immediately assumed.

"You know, I should really get rid of you," Arthur menaced.

"Good. Then maybe I'd be able to get a full night of sleep for once," Merlin retorted, closing his eyes again.

He smelled more than he felt the dirty tunic being dropped on his face.

"You have fifty minutes to meet me back in my room with these cleaned and dried. Not a second more. There's a meeting in the Great Hall."

Merlin pushed the smelly tunic off his face when he heard his door slammed shut.

"And a good morning to you too, Arthur..."

* * *

Merlin stood at his usual spot beside Arthur, slightly set back, while Arthur himself was at his father's right in the Great Hall. On the other side of the throne, Morgana and Gwen stood as well.

Merlin recognised one of the knights advancing to bow in front of the king.

"Sir Alberic, you requested an audience," Uther said as a way to invite the soldier to speak.

"Yes Sire. My men and I were patrolling through the forest last night when we stumbled upon a warlocks gathering. They were at least thirty. We managed to kill twelve of them, and take those two prisoners. I'm afraid the others managed to escape."

As he mentioned the prisoners, Alberic gestured the two guards behind him to come forward. The guards pushed a man and a woman towards Uther, while remaining close behind them for safety.

The woman had a slashed eyebrow and a bad bruise to the cheek. Her dark hair was sticking to the dry blood nearly covering the whole left side of her face. The man had a split lower lip and was holding his right shoulder, looking in pain. It was obvious they had both been roughed up on their way to the castle.

Morgana gasped audibly at their sight. When Merlin turned to her, she was looking back at him, her jaw clenched and her gaze intense. In an instant, Merlin knew she had seen those prisoners in her vision the previous night. Which meant she knew now it had been a vision and not a nightmare.

"A warlocks gathering, really..." Uther repeated as he walked in front of the young man. "Do you have anything to say, lad?"

"I'm not a warlock, Sire," the man stated cockily.

"Are you calling my knight a liar?"

"Oh, no Sire, I mean... We were indeed talking about magic, but they were just words. We're not sorcerers, by no means. We're just fooling around, having fun pretending we have magical powers."

"I believe that game would look much less amusing from the bottom of my dungeons or from the top of a stake," Uther commented. "And what about you?" he asked as he turned to the young woman. "I gather you're not a witch either?"

She looked down to her feet, clearly intimidated by Uther. "No, Sire," she managed to whisper.

"Of course..." Uther seemed thoughtful for a second. "Alberic, did you and your men see them practice magic?"

Merlin was surprised by this question. When it came to magic, Uther condemned on suspicion only and never bothered to ask for proof. It was all the more unexpected that it was rather obvious that the prisoners were lying. Arthur, too, was staring at his father with a frown.

Alberic looked just as surprised as them. "Hum, no Sire. But all of them kept talking about spells, potions and other magical things. Some also talked about killing you so that magic could return to the land."

"I see... So when you attacked them, none used any magic on you?"

"No, Sire." The knight looked puzzled by the turn of the conversation.

"Yet over twenty of them managed to escape?"

Realising the underlying reproach in his king's question, Alberic looked down when he answered: "Yes, Sire."

"You're dismissed, Alberic," Uther said on a tone that allowed no protestation. Once the knight was gone, he turned his attention back to the male prisoner. "So you're not a sorcerer?"

"Like I said, I'm not," the young man confirmed.

Uther nodded absent-mindedly. Then, unexpectedly, he unsheathed a dagger hanging at his belt and stick it to the hilt into the man's chest. The whole audience jumped at his action.

"NO!" the woman cried out when the other prisoner fell to the ground. She tried to get to his side, but the guard behind her caught her.

Morgana would have lunged forward if Gwen hadn't held her back. Merlin had a hard time remaining still as well in front of this sudden violence.

"Sire, what are you doing?" Arthur questioned. He, too, seemed unsettled by his father's behaviour. "This is neither appropriate nor necessary, I really don't think the -"

His father silenced him with a movement of his hand without even looking at him. Merlin could tell from Arthur's pursed lips that the prince was quite irritated by this dismissive attitude.

As for Uther, he had moved to the remaining prisoner. "It's really a pity that you're not a witch, because I'm afraid your friend here is going to die from this wound if he's not healed quickly..." he told her quietly. Then he motioned the guard to release her.

The woman looked alternatively at the wounded man laying on the ground and at Uther, unsure what to do.

It was a trap. Merlin knew it, she knew it, Arthur knew it, everybody knew it. All Uther wanted was her to betray herself. And sure enough, she did.

Making up her mind at last, she knelt next to the man and put a hand above his wound. "_Karaahuva meltak!_" When he sat up, apparently healed from all his injuries, chest, lip and shoulder alike, she smiled weakly at him.

"Guard, take her to the dungeons," Uther ordered. "She'll be burned at the stake for witchcraft and conspiracy."

As the guard grabbed her and started to drag her towards the door, she resisted with all her might, but it was no use against a man twice her size. Her pleading voice betraying her fear, she hailed Uther: "Sire! Sire, not all magic is evil! We're not bad people! We don't even know any offensive spell! We could do so much to help if you'd just let us! I know hundreds of healing spells, I could... Sire! Please, Sire!"

The Great Hall's sturdy wooden doors closed behind them. Uther had remained impassible during the whole scene. Morgana's fists were clenched tightly. Merlin silently prayed that she didn't say anything. But as could be expected, she did.

"Sire, have you no mercy? These people are obviously -"

"Not now Morgana," Uther hushed her up as he turned his attention back to the remaining prisoner. "You're obviously no sorcerer," he told him, "otherwise you would have healed yourself, right? You probably just got dragged into this by a girl's pretty eyes, didn't you?"

Even though he looked upset, the young man didn't say a word and kept staring down.

"Let him go," Uther suddenly ordered the guard, much to everyone's surprise. "But I'd better never see your face ever again in Camelot," he hissed to the prisoner.

The young man hesitated for a second, but quickly seized his chance and hurried out.

"Sire, you can't be serious!" Arthur exclaimed as soon as he was gone. "Why did you let him go? He's clearly a sorcerer as well!"

"Of course he is," Uther agreed. "And I want you to follow him, Arthur. I trust you'll do a much better job than Alberic. The idiot almost spoiled it all."

"Follow him, Sire?" Arthur queried with a frown.

"He'll lead you right to all those other sorcerers that escaped." Then Uther added with a smile: "Why have only two when we can have all of them? And if the boy is brighter than I believe him to be and doesn't lead you to them, we'll still have the girl to torture for information."

"So what are my orders?" Arthur asked.

"Follow the boy, find the other sorcerers, and kill them all."


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Uther gave his orders to Arthur, Morgana immediately made a stand: "Kill them all? Just like that? Without giving them a chance to -"

"Morgana, I will not endure any of this childish contestation today," Uther interrupted categorically.

Arthur waved Merlin to come with him outside. He didn't need to hear the end of it, he already knew where this conversation was going.

"Magic is dangerous," he heard his father continue as he walked away. "It is prohibited in Camelot, and everyone knows it. Anyone practising magic in the kingdom publicly defies my authority, and I can't allow that."

"But -"

"We've talked about this on way too many occasions already. I will not discuss it any further with you."

Arthur was barely out of the Great Hall when he heard Morgana call out his name.

"Arthur!"

The prince sighed heavily. "Go prepare our horses," he told Merlin. "I'll meet you in the stables, we'll leave within the hour."

Morgana caught up with him in the hallway just as Merlin left. Gwen followed her closely.

"Arthur, you don't really intend to conform to your father's orders, do you?

He shrugged. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because this is nonsense! He's asking you to exterminate all these people based on presumptions!"

"What do you suggest I do, then? Please, enlighten me, Morgana!" he invited on a mocking tone.

"You could ignore his orders. This wouldn't be the first time."

"Precisely," Arthur agreed. "I've disobeyed him a lot lately, and trust me, he's quite aware of that. I'm already in a rather dire situation without adding to it."

"Oh, you're afraid daddy may scold you?" Morgana provoked.

"He's the King," he reminded coldly. "Look, even if I don't do it, someone else will. It doesn't make any difference."

"Yes it does! You're the prince, people look up to you!"

Arthur didn't reply. Instead, he just remained silent. It didn't take Morgana very long to realise that no matter what she said, it wouldn't change anything. Obviously upset, she stormed off, leaving Gwen behind.

The maid didn't seem in any hurry to follow her mistress and dawdled behind. Arthur observed her out of the corner of his eye.

"You don't approve either," he stated.

"I am but a servant. My opinion is of no importance, Sire."

Arthur gave a tight smile at her usage of the conventional title, acknowledging the way he'd kept his distances with her since their return from Hengist's fortress.

"But you don't approve," he insisted.

"Is it that surprising?" Gwen asked. "Can't you just bend the rules once more?"

"And disobey the King again to achieve what? Just to save a few random people?"

Gwen pursed her lips. "Well I'm sure those random people would appreciate it, no matter how little you care," she said, looking hurt, and walked away.

It took Arthur a little too long to realise the double meaning of what he had said. "No, Guinevere, I didn't mean you were random, I..."

She was already too far to hear his attempt at an apology.

He sighed. Women.

* * *

Merlin was busy harnessing two horses when Morgana burst into the stables.

"Morgana, what are you -"

"You can't let him do that, Merlin," she urged. "I saw those people in my..." She gave a look around and lowered her voice. "... in my vision last night. They were defenceless. It's going to be a massacre. Now that I know I'm... one of them... I can't let this happen."

"Believe me, I don't want any of this to happen either," Merlin assured. "But I'm not sure I'll be able to do anything. These last few days, Arthur's been very keen on trying to please his father. I seriously doubt he'll change his mind."

"Please, promise me you'll try to reason with Arthur. He won't hear any of it for now, but who knows, he may listen to you during the trip."

Merlin nodded. "I'll do my best. As for you, you have to promise not to do anything foolish while we're gone."

Morgana shrugged. "What do you fear I might do?"

"Help this witch escape?" Merlin suggested. "And don't tell me you didn't think about it. I believe it wouldn't be a good idea to cross Uther these days, least of all give him reasons to suspect you. Give it some time, give Arthur and I a chance to set things right."

"I guess you're right," Morgana finally agreed. "I'll wait until you come back, and if need be, we'll figure out something. I'm not sure I could be of any help to her anyway, I don't have any control over my -"

Morgana stopped just in time when Arthur walked in. Apparently the prince noticed they had fallen silent at his arrival.

"Please, don't mind me," he told them as he headed for his horse and got on it with ease. Then he added while leading it outside: "Whenever you feel like it, Merlin. By all means, take your time. It's not like we have to catch up with anyone..."

"I'd better go..." Merlin told Morgana and hurried off after Arthur.

"Merlin!" Morgana called. "That man you're going after. His name is Elias. It could help," she finished with a shrug.

* * *

Arthur urged his horse forward, deeper into Camelot's forest. The trail was extremely easy to follow. The man was obviously making no effort to hide his tracks.

"Are we really going after these warlocks?" Merlin suddenly asked him.

"And what do you think we're doing exactly, Merlin? Taking a stroll in the forest just because it's so lovely at this time of year?" Arthur teased. "Of course we're going after the warlocks!"

"Why is it only the two of us, then? Why didn't you bring some knights along, to fight those twenty mighty warlocks when we find them?"

"We're only doing reconnaissance for the moment."

"Right..." Merlin laughed. "That's also probably why we're going so slow."

"The guy's on foot," Arthur pointed out, "we don't want to get ahead of him."

"Or, you don't really want to catch those warlocks," Merlin suggested.

Arthur sighed heavily as he brought his horse to a halt. "What's up with you all today?" he cried out. "Morgana, Guinevere, now you... Do you practise magic?"

"NO!" Merlin exclaimed a little too hurriedly. "I mean, of course not. Seriously, can you imagine? Me? Magic? Ha!" he finished with a slightly forced laugh, but Arthur put it on the account of his own accusative tone.

"Are you pro-magic?"

"Well, hum..." The question seemed to make Merlin slightly ill-at-ease. "You know I think your father's attitude towards magic users is too repressive, but I... wouldn't call myself particularly pro-magic. I suppose," he finally managed to answer carefully.

"Then why won't you let it go?" Arthur exclaimed. "Don't you think it's a little easy to blame it all on me as if I were the bad guy just because I'm enforcing the law?"

Merlin remained silent for a few seconds, apparently deep in his thoughts. Arthur thought he had finally dropped it, just to be proven wrong when his stubborn manservant spoke up again. "All right. Your father is miles away, no one's here to hear us, and I won't tell a soul. So just between you and me, honestly: what do you think about magic? You, personally, Arthur?"

Arthur sighed again. "Magic is banned from the kingdom. What I think about it doesn't matter. It's the law and the King's command. As the crown prince I must abide by it. Period."

"But you're still entitled to have an opinion of your own," Merlin insisted. "Come on, you've gone against your father's authority when you thought him unfair, so surely that means you're not entirely opposed to magic."

"Yes, he's too harsh and lacks clemency as soon as it involves magic," Arthur agreed. "But I believe he's right when he says that magic is evil. Magic doesn't bring anything good to this world. Just look at a few of the things that have happened in Camelot recently because of magic: none of them were any good. Not even close."

No matter what Merlin was trying to have him say, he would not openly undermine his father.

"Something is upsetting you," Merlin suddenly stated.

"Yes, something definitely is. Let me give you a hint: it starts with an M, it's riding right beside me, and I'm going to kick it's ass unless it shuts the hell up."

"It's about Gwen, isn't it? Or rather, about Gwen and Lancelot?"

Arthur stiffened a little at the mention of the other man's name.

"It's got nothing to do with magic or the King," Merlin continued. "Ever since we came back from Hengist's castle you've been in such a terrible mood, but I didn't realise -"

"This is absolutely ridiculous," Arthur finally interrupted. "Why would I be upset about that?" he contested, convincingly he hoped.

"Oh come on... You wanted to rescue her. To save the day, like you always do. To be the hero. Her hero. Except another knight in shining armour was already there."

Arthur stared at Merlin without a word, dismounted, walked a few steps, and knelt to examine some traces on the ground.

"This witch hunt won't take your mind off her," he heard Merlin say gravely from behind.

Arthur kept ignoring his manservant's remarks, his throat tight. He indicated the traces. "He's heading right for Raguenel."


	4. Chapter 4

Night was falling when Merlin and Arthur reached Raguenel, probably very shortly after the man they were tracking – Elias - did. Following Arthur's indications, Merlin remained with him, hiding silently at the village's border in order to observe the warlock.

They saw him, still carrying his bag – which proved he had only just arrived as well – immediately head for another young man. After a quick handshake they started to talk.

"That must be one of those warlocks," Arthur assumed.

Merlin shrugged. They were too far to hear what they were saying, but he could guess Elias' apologetic look as he seemed to explain something. As he listened, the other man's expression changed from welcoming to successfully questioning, surprised, upset, very upset, and then downright furious.

The villager harshly pushed the sorcerer's shoulder, shouting at him. Elias seemed to apologize again, but the other man wouldn't calm down and, his arm pointing to the horizon, he gestured Elias to leave. Then, he turned heels and slammed behind him the door to a small house, leaving Elias outside, alone and looking discomfited.

"Merlin, it's too late to hunt, so why don't you go to the village find us some food?" Arthur ordered. "You should be able to go unnoticed among those bumpkins," he continued with a teasing smile. "I'll keep an eye on this new guy in the meantime."

"That would be with great pleasure, Sire," Merlin teased back.

Merlin threaded his way between the village's houses. None of the villagers, attending to their various dusk activities, paid any attention to him. He decided to try his luck and approached a middle-aged woman plucking chicken.

"Good evening, ma'am," he greeted. "I was wondering if you knew who lived in the house over there," he asked, indicating the house Elias's friend had entered.

"It's the house of Aldwin, the carpenter, and his son Dunstan, why? Are they in any trouble?"

"No ma'am, actually I'm looking for someone called Elias, I think I saw him head for that house."

"Oh yes, I know him. He doesn't live here but he comes every once in a while, he usually stays with the carpenter indeed. Nice boy. Is he a friend of yours?"

"Sort of," Merlin replied with a shrug. "Thanks ma'am."

Merlin headed back towards the carpenter's house. There, he found Elias, sitting on the ground, his back against one of the walls, absent-mindedly throwing a ball above his head, looking like someone who didn't have anywhere to go. Merlin had to find a way to warn him. However, he couldn't go straight to him to talk, Arthur should be able to see them from where he was. So he had to find a way to drag Elias to the back of the house, sheltered from view.

Concentrating on the ball Elias was throwing, Merlin managed to divert its track. It dropped to the ground, and rolled for a few yards in the general direction of the back of the house, where Merlin was hiding.

Elias stood up with a sigh and followed the ball, but as he made to catch it, it rolled another yard. Merlin smiled when he saw the young man frown at it and take another step, only to watch it roll further away.

Understanding that the ball wasn't following its natural course, Elias took out a small knife. "Who is this?" he called, advancing warily. He finally noticed Merlin, standing near the house's back door in the dark. "I know you. I saw you at the castle. You're Prince Arthur's servant." His eyes fell on the ball near Merlin's feet. "And apparently, you're a warlock," he stated with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"I'm here to warn you," Merlin began. "The King ordered Arthur to follow you so you would lead him to the other warlocks. He's hiding at the village's border, on the other side of the house."

"The other warlocks? You mean, from the gathering the other night?"

Merlin nodded.

"I don't know them. I mean, we all gather a couple of times a year, but we don't know each other's names, specifically because of, well, this sort of situation. It would be too dangerous to us all." He paused, thoughtful. "I wondered why Uther released me... Now I understand."

"So, you're not planning to meet up with them?"

"Not any time soon," Elias assured.

"Good," Merlin said, relieved. "What about the man who lives here?"

"Who, Dunstan?" Elias laughed lightly. "No, he can't do any magic, luckily for me I guess. If he could, I'd probably be so cursed right now I wouldn't be able to speak to you."

"Why is he so angry with you?"

"Well, maybe because his bride-to-be is in prison, about to be executed, and all because of me?"

"Oh." Merlin suddenly remembered the witch, probably locked up in one of the castle's cells.

"He's planning on leaving tomorrow. This is ridiculous, all he'll manage to do is get killed as well..."

"You can't let him leave," Merlin insisted. "The two of you need to keep a low profile, at least as long as Arthur is keeping an eye on you."

"I doubt he'll listen to me after what happened." He sighed. "I should go with him," he finally changed his mind.

"Then you'll both get killed," Merlin affirmed. "I'm sure we can figure out something about your friend. I can help. And I know people in the castle who can help too," he added, thinking about Morgana, perhaps Gwen as well. "But right now, you two need to stay put."

Elias seemed to hesitate for a second. Then, he knocked at the carpenter's back door right next to them. "Dunstan? Dunstan, come on..."

No one answered.

"May I?" Merlin queried.

"Go ahead," Elias invited with a shrug.

Merlin took a peek through the window. Then, he whispered with a wave of the hand: "_Shataa Peressa_." Inside the house, a candle blew out.

Dunstan immediately stormed out. "Elias, I swear, I'm not in the mood for any of your stupid magic tricks, so you'd better – who are you?" he suddenly asked when he noticed Merlin.

"It's ok Dunstan, he's on our side," Elias explained.

"On our side regarding what?"

"We're being watched. I was followed. They're trying to catch other sorcerers."

"Oh that's brilliant. Just getting better and better."

"It will be just fine as long as we stay here nice and quiet."

"I told you, I'm leaving tomorrow!"

"It would be a really bad idea to go to Camelot," Merlin chimed in.

Dunstan stared at him. "Again, who are you?"

"Dunstan," Elias interrupted. "I just travelled from Camelot, it's night, I'm hungry, and you know I have nowhere else to go. Could we discuss all of this inside? Please?"

After a few seconds of hesitation, Dunstan finally waved them to come in. Merlin followed, with a quick thought for Arthur waiting outside in the cold. A very quick thought. An hour later, he headed back to Arthur's observation point.

"That's about time! What took you so long?" Arthur complained.

"Nothing," Merlin shrugged off. "Anything new?"

"No, the guy didn't move all evening. Is that all you've got?" Arthur was staring at the chunk of bread Merlin was holding.

"I'm afraid so. You can have it, I don't feel very hungry tonight," Merlin lied. In truth, after the meal he'd just had at the carpenter's, he was full.

Arthur snatched the bread from him and sighed. "Why do I keep taking you along with me?"

Merlin just smiled.

* * *

Morgana carefully walked down the staircase leading to the dungeons, carrying a piece of cloth and a basin filled with water.

The guard stood to attention as soon as he saw her. "My Lady!" he exclaimed with surprise. "Are you here for a visit?"

"I came to tend to your latest prisoner," Morgana replied.

"The witch?"

"Yes, the witch. She's wounded."

"The King wouldn't even ask a servant to do that, let-alone his ward," the guard remarked.

"I'm here of my own volition," Morgana retorted.

"I'm terribly sorry my Lady, but I'm not allowed to let anyone in the cells," he apologized.

"She's been sentenced to the stake. What harm could a little comforting do?"

The guard sighed. "No more than five minutes then, I could be in a lot of trouble if anyone heard about that. Come with me."

Morgana followed the guard closely along the corridor sided with cells.

"Hey, you here to take care of me, bird?" a filthy man in one of the cells said on a suggestive tone as they passed by, looking her up and down.

Morgana ignored his disgusting look, until they finally reached the witch's cell.

"Five minutes," the guard reminded as he unlocked the door.

The young woman was curled up in a corner, staring at the ground with an empty look. She was rather pale and looked both sullen and depressed. Of course she would, Morgana realised. She knew herself condemned, with no hope of mercy from the King. She didn't even acknowledge Morgana's presence when she walked towards her. She only gave her a quick look when she knelt next to her, but immediately looked away again, still silent.

Morgana dipped the cloth in the basin and, without a word, proceeded to clean the woman's slashed eyebrow.

"I could take care of that myself, you know," the woman said after a few seconds.

"Yes, I know," Morgana replied softly. "I saw how you healed your brother Elias."

The prisoner frowned at her as she moved a little away from her touch. "I beg your pardon?"

"Elias. The young man that was taken prisoner with you. You were both interrogated by Uther. He's your brother, right?"

"No, he... Actually he's my cousin, but... How do you even know his name?"

"You must have mentioned it during your interrogation," Morgana simply answered, observing the guard from the corner of her eye.

The woman shook her head. "I'm pretty sure I didn't..."

"Then how else could I know that?" Morgana said with an insistent look.

The woman's frown deepened for a second, until it suddenly dawned on her. "The presence I felt in the forest the other night... You're -"

"Here to let you know," Morgana interrupted just in time, giving an imperceptible nod towards the guard in a silent recommendation to the other woman to watch her mouth, "that you're not alone."

Morgana resumed cleaning the woman's wound, and saw her give a weak smile. She had so many burning questions... "The other day, you said you didn't know any offensive magic," she finally chose. "Are you and your friends druids?"

"No," the woman said with a slight laugh. "We're just... foolish idealists..."

"My Lady," the guard called.

"I'm done," Morgana replied, knowing that her time was up. As she stood, she turned to the prisoner one last time. "Keep hope," she told her.

"I'll try. Thank you."

* * *

Arthur threw the remaining of his food to the ground with irritation. "It's been four days. None of those two have left the village since we arrived, and they nearly haven't spoken to anyone. This one," he continued, indicating Dunstan, "has kept building that house, and it's going so boringly slow he clearly isn't using any magic." Arthur sighed. "This is a dead end, none of them are going to lead us anywhere. We'd better get back to Camelot," he surrendered.

Merlin didn't say a word. He just smiled while watching Arthur pack.

"Will you just stop with that smug smile!" Arthur exclaimed. "I'm not giving up because deep down I don't want to expose those sorcerers! This isn't amusing, my father is going to be extremely displeased."

Merlin kept smiling. "Whatever you say, Sire," he teased.

He dawdled behind when Arthur walked away to fetch the horses. With a glare and a frown, he made a wooden plank fall to the ground on the building site. Dunstan looked up from his work and glanced around until he noticed Merlin.

Merlin smiled, winked at him, and followed Arthur into the woods.


	5. Chapter 5

While he stormed through the castle's corridor behind his father, Merlin in tow, Arthur was in a terrible mood. He didn't like to be reprimanded for his inefficiency. He didn't like to be told that he'd be shown "how to get result". He didn't like to be treated like an incompetent little boy.

The guard on duty in the dungeons didn't even have the time to stand when they walked past him and headed directly for the witch's cell. Arthur settled just outside the cell, his arms crossed over his chest, while the guard fumbled with his keys under the King's impatient gaze.

As for the witch, she had retreated to the back of the cell, looking alternately at all three of them with fear as though they had come to take her to the stake immediately. When Uther entered the cell alone and walked up to her fiercely, she seemed terrified.

"I want the names of all the sorcerers that attended your little gathering the other day," the King demanded without preamble.

"Their names?" the witch asked shyly.

"Now," Uther insisted.

"I... I can't, I don't... I don't know them," she mumbled apologetically.

"Of course you do, do you think me a fool?"

"No Sire, absolutely not," the witch hastened to answer. "But I really don't know their names," she repeated as she shifted uneasily. It was obvious that Uther's very presence was making her uncomfortable.

Seeing her obstinacy despite the circumstances, Arthur briefly wondered if she could really not know the sorcerers names, but dismissed the thought. Why wouldn't she? How could they meet if they didn't know one another?

When Uther spoke up again, his tone was extremely soft and quiet, but Arthur could tell from his tight jaw that his father was upset.

"I will grant you until tonight to change your mind," Uther told the witch. "But if at dusk I don't have a list ready with every single one of their names on it, then I would advise you to enjoy the comfort of this cell for the night. Because at dawn, you'll be introduced to the torture room." He bent closer to her ear. "By midday you'll be pleading for the stake..." he whispered and moved back.

Arthur heard Merlin behind him being a little agitated. He knew the manservant certainly disapproved the use of torture to make a prisoner speak. He had to admit he wasn't fond of it himself either, but the king's methods couldn't be argued. Especially when said king was trying to prove a point.

When Uther walked out, Arthur followed. As they left, he heard the witch call with a hint of despair in her voice: "Sire, I don't know them! I swear I don't! Sire!"

Uther waited until they were out of the dungeons to speak. "Women generally have little willpower," he told Arthur. "She broke once when she used magic in front of us to save her friend. She'll break again. We'll have all the sorcerers names by the end of the day. And when we do, I want you to find and take care of them. And this time, I will not allow failure. Is that clear enough, Arthur?"

"Yes Sire," Arthur replied. "Very clear."

Arthur saw Morgana walk down the corridor. She met up with them just as Uther left. "I came as soon as I heard you were back," she said, "what are the news?"

"I guess you'll be glad to hear that we came back empty-handed from our trip," Arthur answered.

"They're going to torture the witch for information unless she hands over all the other sorcerers," Merlin added.

Arthur cursed inwardly. Couldn't he have held his tongue for a few more minutes? Now Morgana was going to -

"Torture her? Arthur, you can't be serious!"

And there it went again...

"Listen, I talked to her and -"

"You talked to her?" Arthur exclaimed with surprise.

"Yes, I did! Trust me, she's no threat, and I believe the others aren't either."

"You talked to her!" Arthur repeated, furious. "Why? Why do you care so much? The druid child, I can understand. I get why you went out of your way for him. But her? She's responsible for her own actions. She knows the law. She broke it and should deal with the consequences. Anyone who does should."

"She used magic to save a life. Wouldn't you do the same for a friend if you could? For me? For Merlin? For Gwen? Or for your father?" Morgana provoked.

"What are you suggesting, Morgana? That her usage of magic was praiseworthy and that we should all be entitled to use it?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm -"

"Wow, Morgana!" Merlin interrupted. "You're upset, I'm sure your words outstrip your thoughts, right?"

Arthur observed the exchanged looks between the two of them.

"Yes, maybe," Morgana admitted reluctantly.

Arthur kept looking alternately at them. They were hiding something from him, just like the other day in the stables when they'd stopped talking when he arrived. He had the unpleasant feeling that they were both teaming up against him.

"Are you two into magic?" he suddenly accused. "Seriously, I'm starting to wonder. Well, of course I'd have noticed if you practised magic, but you're putting so much passion in this that if my father heard you, he'd lock you up in the dungeons with that witch."

They both remained silent for a few seconds. They knew he was right.

Then, much to Arthur's dismay, Morgana picked up the argument again. "What about torture, Arthur? Do you think it's any more praiseworthy than magic? Is it a practice you intend to maintain once you're king?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Oh I'm so sick of this! Why won't you all stop with the whole '_when you're king_' speech? Thing is, right now, I'm not! So stop fantasizing about what I will or will not do when I am! If ever!"

He wasn't particularly looking forward to being king. It came with way too many responsibilities and duties to be counterbalanced by the very few liberties it also brought. Though one of those may actually be quite worth it, he admitted with a fleeting thought for Gwen. Merlin had been right; the witch hunt hadn't taken his mind off her...

"Guinevere isn't with you?" Arthur suddenly noticed.

"No," Morgana replied with a frown, obviously surprised by this abrupt change of subject, "she didn't feel well this morning, so I sent her back home."

"Oh," Arthur simply replied, trying not to show his concern.

Morgana might fail to see why he was talking about Gwen all of a sudden, but judging from Merlin's stupid grin, he, on the other hand, understood what had been his train of thought.

"Arthur, aren't you forgetting about your errand at the leatherworker's?" Merlin asked out of the blue. "You kept telling me you wanted to go there yourself to retrieve, what was it again? A new swordbelt?"

It took Arthur a second to understand what Merlin was getting at: the leatherworker lived right next to Gwen. His manservant was covertly suggesting him to go visit Gwen, probably knowing that he was indeed dying to. But he wasn't sure it was a good idea though. With those two uniting against him and his father blaming him and putting him under pressure, he didn't want to add to that the disappointment of being sent away by Gwen. He felt lonely enough as it was.

"Come on, go!" Merlin urged.

Arthur knew that this wasn't a proper way for a servant to address his master and that he should really remind Merlin some day. But he decided to ignore it once more and just turned heels to walk away, leaving the two of them alone together.

"What do you think we should do about that woman in the dungeons?" Morgana asked once he was gone.

Merlin shook his head. "I don't know. But whatever it is, we need to be extremely careful."

* * *

Arthur knocked on Gwen's door. "Guinevere?" he called. No answer. "Guinevere, it's Arthur."

"I, huh... I'm not feeling well, I'd rather not see anyone," came the hesitant answer through the door.

"Are you all right?" Arthur insisted.

"Yes, just... Please leave," Gwen bid him.

Deeply disappointed, Arthur took a step away from the door. He knew he shouldn't have come, he scolded himself.

"No, wait!" she suddenly changed her mind. "Actually... could you please ask Gaius to come by?"

"Gaius? Are you that sick?"

"Just ask him to come."

"Guinevere, come on, let me in," Arthur urged. "I just..." _Want to see you_, he finished mentally.

His gaze fell on the doorknob. He turned it slowly, tentatively, and the door gave in: it wasn't locked.

"Don't freak out, I'm coming in," he warned as he slowly pushed the door forward.

"No! I..."

As Arthur stepped in, he just had the time to see Gwen turn her back to him and head to the farthest end of her house.

"Guinevere?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

"I asked you to go away!" Gwen exclaimed. "You can't ever take anyone's advice, can you?

Arthur was taken aback by her unusual harshness. "Are you still angry at me for going after this warlock? For your information, it was useless, we didn't find anything."

Gwen remained stubbornly silent and still, with her back to him.

"Guinevere, turn around and talk to me," he demanded, walking closer to her.

"No."

"Why not?" Arthur asked with exasperation.

"Because..." she sighed. "Because I don't want you to see me like this..." she finally said in a whisper.

Arthur was thrown off guard by the despair in her voice, and he was now positively concerned. "Guinevere, tell me what's going on," he exhorted, his tone almost pleading.

"I have no idea what happened... At first it was nothing, I only felt ill..." she answered quietly. "But an hour ago, I don't know, it... It got worse... That's when it began to..."

Her words died on her lips. Arthur put a hand on her shoulder and softly turned her around. When Gwen was finally facing him, he hardly repressed a gasp of surprise.

Part of her right hand and wrist, as well as the left side of her neck seemed... wooden. Quite literally. Their appearance was that of bark. Spontaneously, Arthur moved his hand from Gwen's shoulder to her afflicted neck and checked the surface with the tip of his fingers. The skin was as hard and harsh as a tree trunk.

"It's spreading," Gwen confided with fear in her eyes. "Fast."


	6. Chapter 6

"This is obviously the work of magic," Gaius told Arthur in a low voice in a corner of Gwen's house. Merlin was close by, listening to them.

"Is there anything that can be done?" Arthur questioned.

Gaius shrugged, powerless. "I've never seen such a thing, I need to do some research."

"What will happen if we can't find a cure?" Merlin asked with concern. "Will it keep spreading?"

"Yes," Gaius confirmed. "I believe the... _disease_, for lack of better word, will keep spreading. For the moment it seems to be mostly external and affect only her skin, but if it changes and reaches vital parts of her body like her head..." He let the sentence hang.

She would die, Merlin completed mentally, revolted by that thought. He wouldn't let that happen, no matter what it took. And as he glanced at Arthur, he knew he wouldn't either. The prince may hide it well, but it upset him at least as much as it upset Merlin.

Merlin decided to return to Gwen's side by her bed where she was sitting, and to let Gaius and Arthur discuss together. She looked rather pale and tired. The disease progressed quickly on her right hand and arm, but hopefully the wooden patch on her neck seemed relatively stable and didn't advance towards the head.

"Merlin, tell me what's going on," Gwen urged.

"Don't worry, it's going to be all right," Merlin lied.

"No it's not. You all keep whispering so that I won't hear, but I'm not a child. Why do you look so worried? What's wrong with me?"

Merlin shook his head. "We don't know. Gaius think it's magic."

"But how did it happen? I didn't do anything out of the -" Gwen suddenly winced.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Gwen obviously lied. She stared at her right arm. "I can't feel my hand any more..."

Merlin looked down at it too. Her hand looked like the wooden one of a puppet. Her fingers were extremely still, she probably couldn't move them any more than she could turn her wrist.

"Ow!" Gwen suddenly exclaimed. "Oh gods, OW!" Her left hand flew to the back of her neck as she kept crying out with pain.

"Gaius!" Merlin called.

The physician hurried to Gwen's side, followed closely by Arthur. "Gwen?"

"It's on and off, but it hurts..." she explained, panting and on the verge of tears. "Gods it hurts so much..."

Gaius lifted her hair to look at the wooden patch on her neck. "It's spreading to the spine..." he observed with concern. Then he rummaged in his pouch and took a small vial out of it. "There's nothing much I can do about this sort of pain, I'm afraid, but I can give you this drug that can induce sleep."

"A drug?"

"Gwen, it will hurt more and more as it keeps spreading," Gaius warned.

"You should take it," Arthur advised. "We'll figure out something, we'll find a cure, but at least in the meantime you won't be in pain any more."

"I don't want to sleep through it!" Gwen contested. "I want to remain conscious of what -" She shouted with pain again. Once it was over, her cheeks were wet with tears.

"Guinevere," Arthur pleaded softly.

Merlin knew that if someone was going to be able to convince her, it might just be Arthur. It was obvious that seeing her in pain greatly distressed the prince. Gwen might have noticed it as well, for she finally nodded and allowed Gaius to pour a drop of the translucent liquid in her mouth.

After a few seconds only, Gwen rested limply on her bed.

"Give her a drop of this every two hours," Gaius instructed as he gave his vial to Merlin. "It will keep her unconscious. I need to return to my laboratory to investigate this ailment further," he told Arthur.

"I expect you to do your best to find a cure quickly, Gaius," Arthur ordered.

"As always, Sire."

With Gaius gone, Merlin and Arthur were left together next to Gwen, stuck in an uncomfortable silence. Arthur looked shaken, but Merlin knew he himself probably didn't look too good either.

"It must be that group of sorcerers," Arthur suddenly said. "They want to get back at us for killing and capturing their own," he accused.

"Arthur, to them Gwen's no more than Morgana's maid," Merlin reminded. "Don't you think they'd curse someone else if they really wanted to get back at anyone?"

Arthur observed Gwen thoughtfully. He seemed torn. "I have to go," he finally said reluctantly. "Knights training. I'll go warn Morgana, she'll probably come here immediately. Once she does, I want you to go help Gaius find a cure. But in the meantime, do not leave Guinevere alone."

"Of course not," Merlin assured.

Arthur nodded. "I'll be back tonight," he announced and left.

Merlin adjusted the blanket around Gwen and let go a sigh. Even though she was asleep, she didn't seem very peaceful.

* * *

Merlin entered Gaius' laboratory in haste. Before even saying a word, he retrieved his magic book from his room and got back to the laboratory's main table with it to join Gaius in his research.

"I didn't expect you so soon," Gaius remarked.

"Morgana stayed with Gwen, I told her about giving her the drug every two hours," Merlin clarified dismissively. "Did you find anything yet? Do you have any idea what sort of spell provoked that?"

"No, but I'm sure about something: this isn't human magic. And the curse must be extremely powerful in order to manage to change the nature of a living being. I've never heard of something quite like it before."

"There's got to be something about it somewhere," Merlin said, browsing though his book hurriedly. "There's got to be some spell I could use..."

During the next hours, they went over all the magic books they had at their disposal in the hope that they'd find any information about what was ailing Gwen, but to no avail.

Merlin threw a book away out of frustration. "How is it possible that we can't find anything that remotely resembles what's happening to her?"

"This isn't the right way to proceed," Gaius commented. "We first need to identify what kind of creature cast that spell. Then we'll know where to look."

"We don't have time for this, Gwen is dying by the minute!" Merlin exclaimed angrily.

"I know Merlin, I know." Gaius observed him for a second. "Merlin... You need to realise that there might not be anything that we can do. That _you_ can do."

Merlin shook his head, picked up his magic book and stuffed it in his bag. "I'll go and try a few of these. One is bound to work," he declared stubbornly.

"Merlin," Gaius called before he was gone. "There's already a witch locked up in the dungeons. There's no need for you to go and share her fate. I know Gwen is your friend and you want to help her, but please promise me you'll be careful."

Merlin nodded briskly and left. With the recent events, he had completely forgotten about the witch in the dungeons and about his promise to Elias and Dunstan to help her out. He felt a little guilty about it, but he put the thought aside. First things first. Gwen was the priority.

When he entered Gwen's house, Morgana didn't seem to have moved since he left and was still sitting by her side. "How is she doing?"

Morgana shrugged. "She woke up briefly an hour ago. She didn't recognise me. I think she was hallucinating. Are you sure this drug is any good for her?"

"Gaius prescribed it for the pain," Merlin answered. "Morgana, it will be night soon, you should get back to the castle and get some rest."

"I'll be absolutely unable to sleep as long as she's like this," Morgana stated. She paused. "Do you think there's something I could do? I mean, you know... with magic...?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "Probably not. You look tired, you've been here all day, you should really go. I'll be here with her, and Arthur should be back soon. We'll take good care of her."

Morgana nodded. "All right," she capitulated. "I'll come back first thing in the morning. Let me know if anything happens in the meantime, one way or the other."

As soon as she was gone, Merlin took his magic book out of his bag and opened it to one of the pages he'd marked a few hours earlier. Then, he lifted a hand above Gwen and read out loud the magical words on the page.

"_Ahuni shern joola_!" No result. He flipped a few pages. "_Liyesh valaam_!" Still nothing.

One after the other, he cast the spells with all his will, all his heart, and all his power, until all he could do was admit his failure.

Merlin dropped his book, buried his face in his hands and let go a long and heavy sigh. Knowing he had all this magic in him but being unable to use it to save his friend was making him crazy.

* * *

Arthur came back a little after nightfall.

"Anything new? Did Gaius find a cure?" he immediately asked.

Merlin just shook his head.

Arthur seemed disappointed. "Couldn't think of anything else all day," he confided. "I was so distracted I very nearly got my head chopped off by my own knights at least half a dozen times."

Arthur took a chair and sat next to Merlin, close to Gwen's bed, and looked at the maid's sleeping form. The disease had clearly progressed. Her arm was now entirely wooden, and considering her uneasy breathing, he could venture that her chest was now already affected as well. Her sleep seemed rather troubled, like she was having some sort of nightmare. Seeing her like this broke his heart.

"We don't have much time left, do we?" Arthur asked grimly.

Merlin shook his head again. "Gaius didn't mention anything about it but... I'd say until morning. Maybe midday."

They both fell silent again, both sharing the same dark thoughts, both feeling powerless. It only took another look at Gwen for Arthur to finally make up his mind.

"I came up with an idea today," he said softly.

"What sort of idea?" Merlin asked. "Tell me your plan, whatever it is, count me in!"

Arthur shook his head. "No. I don't want to drag you or anyone into this. It's my decision, my responsibility."

Merlin frowned. "What is it you plan on doing exactly?"

"Just stay here with her and wait for me," Arthur instructed. "I should be back in a couple of hours," he finished, stood up and turned round.

"Arthur, don't -" Merlin began but it was already too late. "- do anything stupid," he finished to the empty room.


	7. Chapter 7

The captured witch was laying on the rough bed available in her cell, her eyes wide open, unable to get any sleep. Evening had come and with it a guard demanding a list of names. She had failed to provide any. She had explained, pleaded, cried, but the guard wouldn't hear any of it.

The shred of hope the Lady had brought her a few days earlier was long gone. She had stopped deluding herself. She knew what awaited her in the morning.

A week of nearly sleepless nights finally got the better of her and she slowly began to drowse. It took her a while to notice the sudden commotion down the corridor, growing nearer and nearer. She woke up just in time to see a man's hooded figure unlock her cell and get in hastily.

He walked closer and held out his arm to her. "Come on, get up, we've got to hurry."

* * *

When Arthur got back to Gwen's house, Merlin looked extremely surprised to see he was followed by the no longer imprisoned witch.

"You got her out? On your own?" his manservant asked. "Then I guess I have my answer about your personal opinion regarding magic..."

"Don't say anything that would make me change my mind," Arthur warned.

Arthur finally removed his hood. That was when the witch recognised him at last.

"You're Prince Arthur!" she exclaimed. "I don't understand, why would you... What is this? Why did you bring me here?" she questioned, suddenly looking defiant.

"The other day, you said you knew hundreds of healing spells. Was that true?" Arthur asked.

"Well I... may have exaggerated a little," she admitted.

"Could you heal that woman?" he continued, pointing at Gwen.

"Why? Is this some kind of trap again?" she asked on the defensive without even looking at Gwen.

Arthur sighed. They didn't have time to argue. "Of course not! Will you just go and heal her if you can?" he insisted.

"You mean you really got me out just so I could heal someone?" The witch snorted.

"What's wrong with that?" Arthur questioned, surprised by her reaction.

"Well before we arrived here I still thought someone had selflessly helped me escape. Forgive me for being a little disappointed that I was wrong."

"Help us and you'll go free," Arthur promised. "You have my word."

"For what a Pendragon's word is worth..."

"What are you suggesting exactly?" Arthur began to accuse. "You sure sound much more cheeky than you did in front of the King."

"Maybe because back then I wasn't in any position to negotiate."

Ah, there they were. Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "All right, what's your price?"

This seemed to take the witch by surprise, as if she hadn't thought this through. That was the moment Merlin chose to interfere.

"I'd hate to interrupt, but even if you both have every reason to distrust one another, I'm sure we can get past that." He turned to the witch. "You've met the Lady Morgana. The woman there is her maid, and I believe her best friend as well. She's our friend too and she's dying. So even if you can't actually heal her, any information you could give us about what's wrong with her would be highly appreciated."

Arthur was surprised to hear in Merlin's tone that he didn't seem to believe she could be of actual help, after all he and Morgana had said in favour of magic.

"Don't let her down just because the big crowned fool over there doesn't know the proper way to ask for help."

"Hey!" Arthur protested. "The big crowned fool can still decide how crappy your daily chores are, Merlin!"

Their exchange made the witch smile. Arthur had to admit that Merlin was probably right and it was likely he hadn't chosen the best way to convince her.

"Look," he told her, "you said the other day that you sorcerers could help if we'd just let you. This is your chance. Show me." From the corner of his eye, he saw Merlin wave him to go on. He sighed. "Please?"

The woman finally nodded. "All right, I guess I can always try to -" She suddenly interrupted when she turned to look at Gwen at last. Her face dropped. "What happened to her?" she asked as she walked next to Gwen and started to examine her.

"We think she was cursed," Arthur answered. "Do you have any idea what this is?"

The witch was carefully observing Gwen's wooden arm. "Oak," she said very seriously.

Arthur exchanged a look with Merlin, and rolled his eyes. He was already beginning to believe this was going to be a complete waste of time.

"I think it could be dryad magic," the witch added. "It does look like it."

"Dryad? What sort of monster is that?" Arthur asked. He saw Merlin frown: his manservant didn't seem to know either.

"They're not monsters. They're nymphs, peaceful spirits of the forest. You're lucky you got me, Elias wouldn't know a thing about them..."

Before Arthur had the chance to ask why a forest nymph would curse anyone, Merlin spoke up: "Then what do you know about dryad magic?"

The woman shrugged. "Not much, only what my grandmother told me about it. Dryads are nearly extinct... They're said to live in oak trees... Their magic operates mostly on nature, they don't curse people unless they feel threatened..." She closed her eyes and appeared to concentrate.

"Do you know any dryad magic spells that could counter this curse?" Merlin asked.

"That's what I'm trying to remember," the witch answered. "I saw my grandmother perform quite a few, but that was a long time ago... She really liked dryad magic. She even used to pretend that she descended from one, but she had already started to lose her mind back then, so..." she finished with another shrug.

Arthur waved Merlin to follow him to another corner of the house. "This is useless," he whispered. "Whatever she remembers will come from an old crazy lady and can't be relied on."

"Give it a chance," Merlin retorted. "Now at least we have a lead, even if she can't think of anything we could still research this dryad magic."

"I've got one!" the witch suddenly exclaimed. Arthur's doubts instantly vanished as hope took over. "Well, I think. I'm... not sure it will work."

"Why wouldn't it?" Arthur asked as he walked back next to Gwen's bed.

"It's a spell meant to get rid of a parasite tree growing on another," she explained. "That's the closest I can think of. But I don't know what effect it will have on a person."

"Then no," Arthur decided categorically. "We're not taking that risk."

"Arthur, it's worth a try!" Merlin insisted. "It could work! It's close enough! What other choice do we have? What is there to lose? Gwen's already dying!" he reminded.

As if on cue, Gwen whimpered in her restless sleep. Arthur clenched his fists. He hated to see her like this. With a sigh, he nodded, and waved the witch to proceed.

She put her hand above Gwen's wooden one and concentrated on it. "_Toorhim farunka sitow!_"

The spell had no obvious effect, but Arthur was almost sure he saw a slight shift in the wood's texture. The witch cast the spell again. Yes, something was definitely happening! When she gave it another try, Gwen's little finger turned back to flesh. However, it lasted only a few seconds until the disease took it over again.

The witch stood back, panting, and shook her head. "I'm not powerful enough to cast this. I'm sorry."

"What do you mean you're sorry? It's working! Come on, try again!" Arthur urged.

"It's no use, I won't get much better than this. I'm truly sorry."

"Well you're not trying hard enough!"

"Arthur?" It was Merlin's turn to wave him to follow him away from Gwen's bed. "She spent the last week in the dungeons, she's weakened. Maybe with, I don't know, a proper meal or something, she may regain some power?"

Arthur nodded. "Good idea. Go fetch some food from the castle, I'll stay here and keep an eye on them."

"Actually, I was thinking you'd better go yourself," Merlin suggested. "At this hour of night, if someone catches me, they won't let me go. You, on the other hand, they'll let go," he argued.

Arthur sighed. "All right. I need to go and get some fresh air anyway. I'll be back soon."

* * *

Merlin kept an eye on Arthur as he left the house. As soon as he was sure he was gone, he headed back to Gwen's bedside.

"I heard what you told him," the witch said. "You know, it's not how magic works. Getting some food won't make any difference. I'm just not powerful enough to cast that spell efficiently."

"I know. I am."

"What?"

Merlin lifted his hand above Gwen, and focused with all his might. Then he pronounced the incantation he had memorised from the witch's unsuccessful castings: "_Toorhim farunka sitow!_"

No effect at all.

"_Toorhim farunka sitow!_"

Still nothing.

"_TOORHIM FARUNKA SITOW!_"

Merlin was absolutely baffled. "This is impossible, why isn't it working at all?"


	8. Chapter 8

Merlin was absolutely baffled. "This is impossible, why isn't it working at all?"

The witch was staring at him. "You're a warlock? I can't believe it! How many people in this castle practise magic right under the king's nose?"

He turned to her. "Why isn't it working?"

She shrugged. "Maybe you're not powerful enough either."

"No, I am," Merlin persisted. "Something isn't right... I should be able to -" A thought suddenly popped in his mind. "Wait. You said this was dryad magic."

"Yes, so?"

"What if it can only be cast by a dryad, or by someone with dryad blood?"

"What, you mean -"

"That your grandmother might have been telling the truth, yes."

"No, I told you, she was crazy," the witch dismissed.

"Maybe not as much as you think."

"I'm telling you, I don't have dryad blood! I..." She sighed. "You know, it doesn't matter. I still can't cast that spell efficiently, and apparently neither can you."

"But there's got to be a way... We're so close... We have the spell, we have the spell caster, all we need is..." His voice trailed off, and he smiled. "I think I have an idea."

Merlin took his magic book out of his bag again and flipped through the pages hastily. He knew there was something in there that could be used. "There!" he exclaimed, and handed the book to the witch. "Do you think you could do this?"

While he let her read the page, Merlin started to search Gwen's house for what he would need.

"Are you sure about this?" the witch asked after a few seconds. "I mean, it could be dangerous. Especially for you."

"Yes, I'm sure," Merlin confirmed. "It's rosemary, laurel, and?"

"And thyme," she read.

"Right." Merlin picked up a branch of the last ingredient from one of Gwen's shelves, thankful his friend had these cooking herbs handy. "So will you be able to do it?" he asked while tying the ingredients together.

"I suppose." The witch paused. "The Prince, he doesn't know you're a warlock, does he?"

"He doesn't, and I'd rather it remained that way. We should hurry, he could be back any minute now," Merlin urged as he walked back near the bed and gave a quick look at his magic book to memorise the spell. "_Dahalee marook vor!_"

The assembled herbs glittered briefly.

"Good. Now we can -"

The sound of the latch. Merlin barely had the time to shut the magic book, slide it in his bag and hide the herbs in his closed fist before Arthur walked in, carrying some bread and fruits.

"How is Guinevere doing?" he immediately asked. "Any improvement?"

"No," Merlin answered.

When Arthur handed the food to the witch, she shook her head. "Thanks but that won't be necessary."

"Then you'd better have found some other way to cure her," Arthur insisted, "because otherwise I'd -"

Gwen wailed in her sleep.

They didn't have the time to wait for Arthur to leave again, Merlin realised. They had no other choice but to act right in front of him. But to keep it discreet they'd have to involve him in some way...

"Actually," he told Arthur, "we talked and indeed, there may be a way to make the spell work, but it will require both our cooperation."

"How so?"

"Apparently, even if we don't have any magical abilities, we can lend some spiritual support to increase the spell's strength. Right?" Merlin concluded by turning to the witch with an insisting look, hoping she'd play along.

The witch just nodded silently. Merlin wished she looked a little more convincing.

"All right, how can we do that?" Arthur asked.

Merlin held out his hand to him.

Arthur stared at his extended hand with an eyebrow raised, then looked back at Merlin. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Well, you don't have to help, it's all right if you don't want to..." Merlin provoked with a shrug.

Arthur sighed, rolled his eyes, and took Merlin's hand at last. "If this ever gets out of here..." he warned.

"My lips are sealed," Merlin teased. Then he proceeded to grab the witch's hand, the enchanted herbs carefully hidden in his free hand's palm, but she evaded him at the last moment.

"Sire," she hailed Arthur with a slightly mischievous smile, "this is as close as you can get to practising magic yourself. Are you sure you're willing to do this?"

Merlin cursed inwardly. This was a very ill chosen moment to settle political disagreements.

"Yes," Arthur simply answered.

"So you're willing to go against your father's law yourself in order to save this woman's life?"

"Isn't that what I've already been doing all day?" Arthur replied in a whisper, his jaw clenched.

The witch observed him for a second. "She must be one really good friend."

Arthur remained silent at her assertion, his lips pursed.

Gwen whimpered again.

"Could we get on with this?" Merlin insisted.

He took the witch's hand at last, praying that it would work, for it would probably be their last chance. And it did work.

As soon as their hands came into contact, the enchanted herbs trapped between their palms, Merlin instantly sensed the witch's magic nearly as part of his own. It was distant and felt foreign. It also lacked the strength he was accustomed to.

Merlin knew it was the same for the witch and she could certainly feel this newly formed common pool of power. But her reaction to his magic wasn't quite the same as his was to hers. When their hands touched she took a sharp intake of breath, looking both surprised and somewhat overwhelmed.

"Wow. You weren't kidding," she told him, sounding winded.

"Anything wrong?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing," Merlin shrugged it off. "Just... Cold hand."

The prince frowned at his answer, but finally dismissed it. "So, what do we need to do?" he asked the witch.

It took her a second to understand what he was referring to. "Oh. Right. Hum... You just need to... close your eyes and... concentrate. On your friend. While I cast the spell."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much."

Arthur nodded. "Sounds easy enough. Let's hope it works this time."

Yes, Merlin agreed, let's hope it worked...

After Arthur closed his eyes, Merlin nodded the witch to begin. She placed her hand above Gwen's neck. Merlin silently mouthed the words at the same time she pronounced them.

"_Toorhim farunka sitow!_"

Merlin felt his magic flow from him to the witch and then to Gwen, as the witch tapped directly his power to cast the spell. It was demanding, draining and unlike any magic he had ever practised.

After several long and exhausting seconds of spell casting, the witch stood back, obviously spent and out of breath. She immediately removed her hand from Merlin's. He was a little puzzled to see her so eager to break contact, but immediately forgot about it when he took a look at Gwen.

"It worked!" Arthur exclaimed with a wide smile when he opened his eyes. "She's healed! She's entirely healed!" He sounded exhilarated. "That magic thing wasn't so bad. I think I even felt that connection between all three of us at some point!"

Merlin briefly turned to the witch and saw her shake her head slightly, confirming that Arthur had certainly imagined it all.

"Wait, she's still unconscious..." Arthur suddenly noticed with worry as he gently pushed a strand of hair away from Gwen's forehead.

"The drug is still active," Merlin explained. "She'll wake when it wears off."

Arthur nodded. Merlin saw him instinctively reach out to grab Gwen's hand but change his mind at the last moment, with a quick look at him and the witch from the corner of his eye.

"Are you all right?" Arthur abruptly asked the witch. Merlin noted that indeed, she looked pale and tired.

"I... could use some rest," she admitted.

"I'm extremely grateful for what you did tonight," Arthur began solemnly. "I shall not forget it and I'll see to it that you get out of Camelot safe and sound. But it will have to wait until tomorrow. We all need to rest and we also need to think of a plan to get you past the garrisons at the castle's exits." Then he turned to Merlin. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on Guinevere until she wakes up. I want you to take our new friend to some place where she can rest."

"Some place? Where?" Merlin questioned.

Arthur shrugged. "I don't know, the laboratory..."

"It's the middle of the night, Gaius is probably there sleeping!"

"Anywhere, then, I'm sure you'll find something," Arthur assured as he resolutely led them towards the door. "I'll meet with you tomorrow."

"What about the -" Merlin barely had the time to begin before the door was slammed shut, leaving him and the witch outside. He sighed with frustration. "You know, if you want to stay alone with her, just say it," he suggested, loud enough for Arthur to hear him through the door, but the prince had apparently decided to ignore him.

Merlin sighed again. "You're welcome, by the way," he whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

Merlin slowly pushed his room's door closed and carefully released the handle. He could still hear Gaius snoring on the other side. He let go a sigh of relief. He was sure there were dozens of better places to hide the witch, but it would be dawn soon and he was too tired to think properly.

"I don't think he heard us," Merlin whispered to the witch as he turned to her. "You can take the bed, I'll arrange something for myself."

He took some extra blankets and a pillow from a drawer and began to prepare a makeshift bed on the ground by the window. He watched the witch sit tiredly on the bed.

"You don't look too well," he noted. "It's the spell, it was very draining, wasn't it?"

"Actually I think it was more using your magic that exhausted me."

"Really?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

She remained silent and observed him as he continued setting up what would be his bed for the night. "How do you do it?" she finally asked.

Merlin looked up to her. "How do I do what?"

"Keep it under control. I mean, your magic. Aren't you ever overwhelmed by it?"

Merlin shrugged, unsure what she was talking about. "I guess not. Were you?" he asked as he remembered the way she had hurried to break the contact.

"Well it's... very strong and... I don't know... Raw?"

Merlin was quite astounded to hear that. His magic felt so natural to him he had a hard time imagining it could be otherwise to anyone else. "I don't have any trouble with it."

They both settled in their respective beds.

"By the way, I've been to Raguenel, and I met Elias and Dunstan," Merlin informed her.

The witch briefly smiled at the mention of her friends, until her face dropped. "They must be worried sick..."

"Actually, Dunstan wanted to come all the way here to Camelot to rescue you."

"Really?" She smiled again and absent-mindedly played with the ring on her annular finger, her gaze suddenly distant.

"Hey, er..." Merlin paused, puzzled, and racked his brain. He suddenly realised after a while: "I don't even know your name... I'm quite sure Elias and Dunstan must have mentioned it, but I can't seem to remember... And Arthur and I didn't even bother to ask tonight, that was so rude of us..." he admitted with embarrassment.

"It's Livia."

"All right. Livia," he repeated.

"Think you can remember that?" she teased.

"I'll try..." Merlin replied with a smile. "So, _Livia_," he articulated slowly in jest, "I've been meaning to ask... Dunstan, your friends, the people you know... They all know you're a witch, right?"

"Of course."

"Wasn't it hard to tell them?"

"I didn't have to, they knew from the start. I make a living of magic. Well, almost."

"Really? How?"

"I'm a healer. I generally travel from village to village. There aren't that many physicians available around the Kingdom, especially near the borders, so people are usually grateful for anything that could cure their loved ones, despite the ban on magic. Those who can give me a coin or two. Others just share their meals with me or let me spend the night in their house."

Making a living of magic... Merlin was envious. Being able to use one's talents to earn one's life...

"So I'm guessing, none of _your _friends know you're a warlock, do they?" Livia realised.

"No," Merlin admitted in a sigh.

"Why not?"

"It's complicated."

"Try anyway."

"I just... I don't want to bring trouble to any of my friends by telling them."

"Don't you feel lonely, not being able to talk about it to anyone?"

Merlin remained silent. He did feel lonely, sometimes. Gaius was the only one he could talk to about magic, but he didn't even tell him everything. He probably wouldn't approve of half the things he did. Like hiding an escaped witch in his room.

"You could join our group of sorcerers. That's what it's for," she suggested.

"It's made to talk about magic with total strangers?"

"Isn't it easier to talk to a total stranger who can relate, like me, than to someone you care about who might judge you, like one of your friends?"

Merlin nodded, realising he'd been doing just that for the last few minutes. "Point taken... So, is it all you do in that group of sorcerers of yours? Talk?"

"Well, we don't all have fancy magic books like yours, so we've got to learn new spells from somewhere."

Merlin was aware it probably wasn't the best thing to say, but he really needed to clear his mind about it: "Do you also use these meetings to plot against the King?"

"What? No!" Livia exclaimed, outraged.

"All right, sorry, sorry," Merlin apologised while waving her to quiet down, hoping her outburst hadn't woken Gaius.

She sighed. "Look. We all grew up in families where having a gift for magic wasn't considered a burden. That's what got us together in the first place. We all have parents, uncles, cousins, who also practise magic and who are old enough to remember how it was like before the ban and to tell us about it. So of course we talk about how great it would be to have that back. But whatever we may say, they're just words."

"They may just be words now, but who knows what those words will turn into in a few months, or in a few years?" Merlin remarked. "Magic opens up so many possibilities it's easy to sidetrack from all this righteousness. It shouldn't be too hard for an organised group a young sorcerers to assault the whole kingdom and destitute Uther."

Wow. He almost sounded like Gaius there for a moment.

In the dim light of the moon, Merlin saw Livia turn around in the bed so she wouldn't be facing him any more. "You should have warned me you planned on picking up an argument. I would have asked to stay somewhere else for the night."

"I'm not trying to pick up an argument," Merlin clarified. "You're offering me to join that group of sorcerers, I'm only trying to understand what it's all about. I remember you told the King you didn't know any offensive spell, but I have trouble believing that."

"I learnt magic from my _mother_. Do you really think she'd teach me how to cast a fireball even if she knew how?" she asked with a snort.

Merlin smiled, thinking about his own mother. "Probably not... Look, I'm sor-"

"My mother was a healer," she interrupted, obviously still upset. "My grandmother was a healer. And maybe her own mother was one too, and her mother's mother before her. All the magic I know is about healing or anything that can be useful in the household."

Merlin had to admit his first contacts with magic had certainly been very unlike Livia's. Until he came to live with Gaius, he had never had any warlock around while he grew up. Would his approach of magic have been any different if he'd been supervised from a younger age by someone else than his mother? By someone who knew magic?

Livia turned round to face him again. "I'll admit you're probably right. With time, we could drift away from our original intent. But that wouldn't happen if we had a leader. One that would keep us all on the right track."

"Yes, maybe," Merlin agreed. Then he managed to catch her insistent look despite the darkness. "Wait, you mean, me? A leader?" He gave a quick laugh. "No... Really, I... I'm not the leading kind of guy."

She shrugged. "You're more powerful than all of us together, and you're in a position to actually do something. That's all it takes."

"I'm not a leader," Merlin reasserted.

"All right. Just think about it," she finished.

After a couple of minutes spent in silence, Merlin's train of thoughts led him to call her again: "Livia?"

"Hmm?" she answered sleepily.

"You know, Arthur, he's... He's not like his father."

"I know. I came to realise that tonight."

"Things will be different when he's King."

Livia sighed. "If I promise to tell my group of terrorists that when we take over Camelot we can spare him, will you let me sleep?"

Merlin smiled at her answer.

Things would be different when Arthur became King. He'd make sure of that.

* * *

Arthur was sitting patiently by Gwen's bedside. He slowly took her hand in his, and gently rubbed his thumb against its back. The wooden appearance and texture had entirely disappeared, and her skin was just as smooth as it had always been.

He wondered how this had all happened. How she had gotten cursed. But more importantly, who had dared curse her and why. Gwen was one of the sweetest persons he'd ever met, always kind and caring. How could anyone ever even think of cursing her? Now that she was healed, he would be able to investigate this.

Arthur felt a slight squeeze on his hand. He immediately snapped out of his thoughts to look up at Gwen: there she was, all awake at last and smiling at him. He smiled back.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently.

"Tired and sore, but alive," she murmured back. "Thank you."

Arthur shrugged it off. "I... didn't have much to do with it..."

He couldn't take his eyes off hers. He just couldn't. He had prayed so many times over the last hours for her to just open her eyes that he feared she'd close them again if he looked away even for a second.

"You're here... You're always here..." she stated in a soft whisper.

He wasn't sure what she was talking about. She sounded like she was mostly speaking to herself.

Gwen looked down at something. Arthur followed her gaze and realised he was still holding her hand and had kept stroking it with his thumb the whole time. As he froze, he had a sudden and nauseating vision of her and Lancelot holding hands, that night he and Merlin had helped them escape Hengist's castle.

He immediately let go of her hand. "Well, since you're feeling fine, I guess I'd better let you rest. I shall leave you alone. Good night," he finished abruptly as he stood up and turned to leave.

"Arthur, wait!"

His heart skipped a beat. "Is anything wrong?"

"I... I'd rather you stayed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please."

He couldn't. He really couldn't. But above all, he shouldn't. "All right," he surrendered, like he always seemed to. But he decided to settle on a chair at the table.

Gwen sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, come back over here."

"As you wish," he replied as he obeyed like a child and sat close to her again.

Apparently none of them knew what to say, so they both remained there in an awkward silence during several long, long seconds, not even looking at one another. Arthur didn't want to bother her with questions about how she could have been cursed just yet.

"We... didn't have the opportunity to talk since the other day," Gwen spoke up at last. "I mean actually talk. About what happened."

Arthur shook his head. "There's no need to, it's fine."

"No it's not. What I did... I was wrong. I hurt you. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologise," Arthur kept dismissing. "Really, it's all right."

"I should have realised before. You're the one who's always here for me, whenever I need it."

Arthur hesitated. He wasn't sure where they stood any more. "That's what friends do," he finally settled for.

"Friends," Gwen repeated. "Right." She sounded disappointed.

"Aren't we friends?" Arthur asked while giving her an expectant look, challenging her to say otherwise. His heart started to race when she remained silent. He wondered what was going on in her head.

As an answer, she eventually crept her hand back into his. Her own boldness made her blush furiously, but at the same time her gaze was daring him to withdraw his hand again.

Arthur's heart was now beating wildly. He smiled and, never stopping to look into her eyes, he lifted her hand, brought it to his lips, and laid a delicate and courtly kiss on its back.

His smile widened as Gwen blushed even more.

* * *

_Merlin..._

Merlin woke up as he heard his name. There was no mistaking that cavernous voice resonating in his head.

_Merlin..._

The dragon kept calling. He straightened up on his elbows and gave a look towards his bed: Livia was sound asleep.

_Merlin..._

The warlock decided to ignore the call and to get back to sleep. He was too tired. Whatever the dragon wanted could certainly wait until the next day.


	10. Chapter 10

"Merlin!"

The warlock woke up with a start. It was Gaius' voice, calling him as he apparently just got back in his laboratory.

"Livia, wake up! Quick, you've got to hide!" Merlin urged, pushing hastily his makeshift bed under his actual one.

"What? What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"Gaius can't find you here. Come on!"

"But where am I supposed to -"

Merlin didn't let her finish and grabbed her arm to drag her out of the bed. Barely a second and a half later, when Gaius opened his room's door, Merlin turned round to face him, looking as innocent and guiltless as possible.

"Good morning Gaius," he greeted.

"I heard you speak. Who were you talking to?" his tutor asked suspiciously.

"To no one in particular. Only to myself."

Gaius observed him silently. Merlin knew he didn't believe him for a second.

"I was called by the King at dawn. Apparently the witch has escaped last night. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, by any chance?" Gaius asked while looking all around the room.

"No, I didn't help her out of the dungeons." At least he wasn't lying about that. But his tutor kept looking around and walking slowly forward, getting dangerously close to where Livia was hiding. "Gaius, come on, if I had anything to do with that, do you really think I'd be stupid enough to hide her in here?"

Judging from Gaius' expression, it was obvious he thought that yes, Merlin would be that stupid. But he apparently decided to drop the subject for the time being.

"Well. Needless to say, Uther is furious. But the reason he had me called is because there's an epidemic throughout the city. Hundreds of villagers, all ailed with the same strange disease that stroke Gwen yesterday - a disease from which she seems to have made a miraculous recovery, as I found out when I visited her."

"Really, she did? That's great news! I'm thrilled to hear that!"

"Thrilled but not much surprised, I'm sure..."

"Gaius, I swear, none of the spells I cast last night managed to heal her." And he wasn't even lying about that either!

"Hmm," Gaius mumbled doubtfully. "Well that's quite unfortunate, I was hoping you'd be able to enlighten me as to how to cure all these poor people."

Merlin shrugged. "If Gwen recovered, I'm sure we'll be able to heal all of them too."

Gaius stared at him with this scrutinizing look of his. "Uther is convinced the witch is responsible for this epidemic. He thinks she cast this curse over Camelot for vengeance. He's determined to find her and anyone who helped her escape."

"Really? Curse villagers? I don't think she'd do that."

"Maybe not. But the guards and knights have instructions. They'll kill her and anyone accompanying her on sight."

"Why are you so sure someone helped her out?" Merlin asked. "She's a witch. She could have used magic to escape."

"The guards said a lone man broke into the dungeons."

"Oh," Merlin said in fake surprise. "Then it could be one of her friends. Like that other sorcerer who had been captured with her."

"Merlin..."

"Gaius, seriously, I didn't break into the dungeons!" Why did he keep feeling like he was lying even when he wasn't?

"I sincerely hope you didn't, Merlin," Gaius said. "In any case, everyone will be extremely vigilant about any sign of magic usage, so -"

"Let me guess, I have to be careful?"

Gaius sighed. "I know that no matter what I say, you'll keep doing whatever you want. But I don't think you realise how angry Uther really is. When this witch is found, and trust me she will be considering the means used, she'll bring down with her anyone who was even remotely connected to her escape, whoever that is. Do you understand?"

Merlin nodded silently. That meant himself, Gwen, and Arthur. And probably Gaius as well if Livia was found there in the laboratory.

"The King is looking for Arthur, apparently he's not in his chambers. You should go and warn Arthur, I'm sure _you_'llknow where to find him."

Merlin nodded again while Gaius turned to leave. He waited a few seconds after Gaius closed his room's door to walk back towards his bed. "It's ok, you can come out, he's gone."

Livia crawled out from under the bed. "I have nothing to do with this," she immediately claimed. "I didn't curse these people!"

"I know," Merlin agreed.

"How am I going to get out of Camelot if all the guards are looking for me?" she asked while dusting herself off.

"We'll figure something out," Merlin assured. "In the meantime, you should remain here while I go tell Arthur his father is looking for him."

"What if guards come? What if they search the room?" Livia asked with worry.

"Arthur will certainly be in charge of the searches, he'll make sure they don't come here. And I'll try to get back soon."

"But what if they _do_ come anyway? They'll find me and they'll know you helped."

"Trust me, they won't. If anyone comes around, it can only be Gaius. And when he does, you can always hide under the bed again."

Livia stared at him silently for a second. "First, I will _not_ get back under there. It's dirty and it smells."

"What? It doesn't!" Merlin protested.

"Second," she continued, "what about that man Gaius, then? Why do we have to hide my presence to him? He obviously knows you're a warlock."

"He's -" Merlin began and then sighed. "Just do as I say and stay here, all right?"

Livia smiled. "Yes sir..."

"What? What's so funny?"

"Not the leading kind of guy, uh?" she teased. As he made to protest, she went on: "Just saying... By the way, the cursed villagers, won't you need my help to cure them?"

"Probably, at least because of your knowledge of dryad magic."

"But all these people, if there truly are hundreds... Even if we used your power like last night, we won't be able to heal all of them, the spell is too draining for me. I could manage one or two a day, but that won't be enough."

"We'll see about that when the time comes. For the moment, I need to go warn Arthur. And you have to stay here, it's too dangerous for you outside to move to another hiding place. I'll come back as soon as I can." Merlin headed for the door, but froze on the doorstep. "You _will_ stay here, right?"

"Certainly, sir," she joked again.

Once outside, Merlin immediately headed for Gwen's house. Gaius hadn't been joking about the importance of the means put in place by the King. There were guards at every corner, keeping watch on all passers-by. Anyone with a hood had to remove it to allow the guards to examine them.

There were also many villagers afflicted with the same curse as Gwen, all walking down the streets with obvious pain, trying to make their way past the guards. But the latter were keeping them at bay, preventing them from heading for the castle.

Someone grabbed Merlin's arm brusquely. It was an old man, limping and with half his face turned into wood. "Help! Please help!" he begged.

"I can't, I'm sorry," Merlin apologised while he freed up his arm. He looked over his shoulder as he continued his way, and saw the old man hail the next passer-by.

When Merlin finally reached Gwen's house, he knocked softly on the door. No answer. He decided to get in anyway. A wide smile spread on his lips when he entered the house and looked inside.

Arthur was still sitting by Gwen's bedside but had fallen asleep. His head was resting on his forearm near the bed's edge. His hand was holding Gwen's and their fingers were intertwined.

Truly sorry to have to interrupt their peacefulness, Merlin coughed to signal his presence.


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur opened his eyes slowly, woken by some sound like a cough. He straightened and stretched with a yawn. His back ached. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was and what he was doing there. A tender smile found its way to his lips when his gaze fell on Gwen, still sleeping.

Then there was that sound again. Definitely a cough. He turned and discovered Merlin, standing by the door and looking at him with a stupid grin. He immediately withdrew his hand from Gwen's and stood up.

"Merlin," he greeted. "I'm guessing this is morning already if you came back here."

"Indeed, it is," Merlin confirmed. "Gaius sent me to tell you your father wants to see you."

Arthur nodded. "Do you know why?"

"I'm betting it has to do with the fact that a witch has escaped from the dungeons and that hundreds of people in the city seem to have been cursed overnight."

"Cursed?"

"With apparently the exact same curse as Gwen. I saw some of them on my way here. And by the way, Livia, the witch, is still hiding in my room as we speak."

Arthur frowned. Hundreds of people cursed... "This is strange."

"What is strange?"

Arthur turned, and saw Gwen awake and straightening to a sitting position. "Guinevere, good morning," he welcomed with a smile.

She smiled back at him. "Good morning. So, what is strange?"

Arthur hesitated. Gwen was still recovering, he didn't want to trouble her with all of this yet. But they might not have much time to figure all of this out. "It seems there are other people in Camelot who contracted the same disease as you did. Do you have any idea how you got sick?"

Gwen shook her head. "I really didn't do anything out of the ordinary yesterday."

"Could you go through the things you did that day until it happened and it started to spread?" Arthur asked.

"Well, as usual I went to wake Morgana up in the morning," Gwen began. "We talked while I got her ready, mostly about those sorcerers who got killed. She was still quite upset about it. Then at some point I started feeling sick, so Morgana sent me home. I stayed here and tried to rest, but after an hour those blotches of wood began to appear. Like I said, nothing out of the ordinary," she finished with a shrug.

"Morgana!" Arthur suddenly remembered. He turned to Merlin: "We should let her know Guinevere is cured, she must be worried."

"I'll go immediately," Merlin offered, "I had promised to warn her if there was anything new, I completely forgot about that last night..."

"I'll go with you then," Gwen stated.

Arthur turned back to her. "No, you're still convalescent, you need to rest."

"It's all right, I'm fully rested," she assured.

"Guinevere, there's no need to strain yourself," Arthur insisted.

"I'll be fine," Gwen promised as she pushed her sheets away and turned to stand.

Arthur immediately picked her hand to help her up. He didn't care if Merlin saw that. Well, actually he did, but he cared more about Gwen's well-being. And apparently she hadn't lied and seemed to be in good shape indeed.

"I have to go meet my father," he finally declared. "Merlin, take Guinevere to Morgana and take good care of her."

"Of course, Sire. I'll take as good care of her as if she were the Queen of Camelot herself," Merlin promised with a teasing grin, looking proud of himself.

Arthur stared at his servant, then bent to whisper in his ear: "Remind me some day to give you a lesson or two about that insolent tone of yours..."

"That will be with great pleasure, Sire!" Merlin provoked one last time while Arthur left the house and headed for the castle.

All along the way, he crossed the path of many of those diseased people, hailing him as soon as they recognised him, seeking help. Apparently the guards had received orders to keep them away from the castle. That was probably for the best – there seemed to be so many of them they could cause a riot.

Arthur wondered what had caused all this as he climbed the stairs that led to the castle. If this illness struck the whole city, could it have the same sort of origin as that one time when a monster had plagued the water supply – what was its name again?

They needed to learn more about these dryads and their magic. He'd have to ask Merlin to bring him to that witch so he could ask her some questions.

A sudden thought crossed Arthur's mind. He paused for a second at the Great Hall's door, where his father was certainly waiting for him.

What if there wasn't any dryad involved - if there even was such a thing as a dryad? What if the witch was really the one responsible for all of this? What if she had cursed all these people just to be able to prove her point?

In any case, he would not allow her to leave Camelot as long as that matter remained unsolved. Culprit or not, she should be able to help heal the villagers like she had healed Gwen.

Arthur finally entered the Great Hall.

"Ah, Arthur, at last," Uther greeted impatiently.

"Sire," Arthur greeted as well.

"I am sure you must have heard the terrible news already," the King assumed. "Hundreds of our people have been struck by the strangest malady. Gaius already confirmed that it was undoubtedly caused by magic. At the moment he's out in the city doing his best to try to ease those people."

"I saw a few of them on my way here," Arthur informed him. "They seem very affected and quite in pain."

"Try to stay away from them. For all we know it could be contagious. A knight reported to me a few moments ago that no one beyond the city's gates seemed to be infected. Which is a relief, at least we should be able to contain the spreading."

Arthur nodded.

"On another note, the witch has escaped from the dungeons." Uther continued, clearly upset. "Apparently she was helped by some intruder. Naturally, the head of security has been dismissed."

"Who, Lewin?" Arthur asked, remembering who was in charge of the dungeons' security the previous night, and knowing that the intruder mentioned was no other than himself. "Lewin is a very capable man, I'm sure he must have been taken by surprise, maybe even by magic, who knows."

"What happened last night is intolerable. No one should be able to breeze in the castle and the dungeons so easily," Uther countered.

Arthur knew that the only reason why he had managed to get into the dungeons so easily to free the witch was first, because he knew the premises by heart, more than enough to get in and out blindfolded, and second, because he was always informed of the castle's security plans and knew where to expect guards that night.

Lewin's competences were not to blame in any way. He felt guilty that this qualified man had been discharged because of him, especially since he knew he had a wife and four children to provide for – including a newborn boy. He made a mental note to have him hired back as soon as he had the chance.

"Anyway, this is all clearly the witch's doing," the King went on. "I should have had those two sorcerers executed when we had the chance. It wouldn't have come to that if I hadn't been so greedy."

"Are you sure she's the one to blame, Sire?" Arthur objected.

"She escaped the very same night this curse appeared. I don't believe in coincidences. She must have sought vengeance. However, the good news is all the garrison's at the gates assured me no one left the city last night. Which means she's still here. Arthur, I want you to find her and whoever helped her and harbours her, no matter what it takes. Spare no effort."

"Of course, Sire. What about the sick villagers?"

"I'm afraid we don't have any other choice than to let Gaius work. Our priority is to find and neutralize the witch. I'm convinced the curse that has befallen Camelot will disappear with her."

Arthur nodded silently. He wondered how he would manage to let his father believe he was actively searching for the witch while he already knew where she was – at Merlin's – and had better make sure she wasn't found if he wanted her to help Gaius heal the villagers. He was going to have to thread very, very carefully...

The Great Hall's doors opened, and Morgana entered the room. Arthur was surprised to see her there, he thought she'd remain with Gwen longer.

"You had me sent for, Sire?"

"Indeed, I have, Morgana," the King confirmed. "I know you had planned to go down to the city today for alms. However, this has to be cancelled. There's an epidemic raging there and I won't let you put yourself at risk."

"What sort of epidemic? Maybe I could give a hand," Morgana offered.

"You couldn't, it's been provoked by a curse. Hundreds of villagers are already suffering from it. It seems their skin is turning into wood."

Morgana seemed taken aback. "Wood? Yesterday I sent Guinevere, my maid, back home because she felt sick. It turns out she was ailed with the very same curse you're talking about by nightfall."

"All the more reason not to get any more exposure. I'm sorry about your maid but there's nothing you can do about it, and Gaius is already swamped taking care of all the other people."

"Oh no, she's quite all right, she recovered already."

"Really? How?"

Arthur tensed. What had Merlin told her exactly? Had he mentioned they had used magic to heal Gwen? And if he had, would Morgana hold her tongue or use this as a new argument for her never-ending verbal battle with the King in favour of magic? The last time Gwen had been linked to some magical event – when her father had miraculously recovered overnight – she had been accused of witchcraft, and Arthur didn't want that to happen again.

Morgana shrugged. "I suppose Gaius healed her."

She seemed to sincerely believe that, Arthur noted. Which meant Merlin hadn't told her how Gwen had really been cured.

"Gaius didn't mention anything about that when I saw him this morning," Uther retorted.

"Then I don't know. Arthur, didn't Gaius heal Gwen?"

Arthur felt both gazes on him, especially his father's heavy one.

"Is that true, Arthur? Did you know about that? Was this girl really healed?"

Arthur gave a quick nod.

"How?"

Arthur felt cornered. How was he going to get out of that one?


	12. Chapter 12

_A few moments earlier..._

Merlin knocked lightly on Morgana's door.

"Come in," a weak voice invited.

He opened the door and had a quick look inside. Morgana was sitting by the window, biting her nails. She was still wearing the same dress as the day before, which very likely meant she hadn't had any sleep at all that night.

She headed for him as soon as she saw who it was. "Merlin! Please, tell me you bring good news..."

"I bring much better!" Merlin announced with a wide smile. As he did so, Gwen followed him into the room.

"Gwen!" Morgana exclaimed joyfully and immediately took her maid into a tight embrace. "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you too," Gwen reciprocated.

Morgana eventually released her. "Are you all right? Is this disease gone?" she asked with worry.

"Yes, entirely. I'm cured and I feel fine!"

"Are you sure? Do you want to sit for a while maybe?"

"Thanks, but I really am fine..."

Morgana sighed. "This is the second time in merely weeks I almost lost you, promise me you won't make a habit out of this!"

"I won't, I promise. There's been too much emotion for me as well, I'd rather avoid this sort of situation from now on."

"Good. Now, tell me everything! What cured you? Did Gaius finally find some healing potion?"

"Well, actually I'm not sure," Gwen began with an interrogating look towards Merlin, "I think -"

She was interrupted by another knock on the door Merlin had left open. A guard was standing on the doorstep.

"Lady Morgana," he said with a quick bow, "the King requested your presence in the Great Hall at your earliest convenience."

"All right. Let him know I'll be there in half an hour," Morgana instructed.

The guard seemed embarrassed. "I'm afraid he's expecting you sooner, my Lady."

"Sooner. That means now, doesn't it?"

The guard managed to look apologetic as he bowed again.

Morgana turned to Gwen. "I'm sorry, I wish I could spend more time with you."

"It's all right," Gwen assured, "you should go. There's no need to upset the King over me. We'll meet you right outside the Great Hall, so we can talk once your done," she suggested while indicating herself and Merlin.

"That's a great idea," Morgana agreed. "Though I feel guilty having you going up and down the castle like this."

"Don't worry about this. Go see the King and we'll talk later."

Morgana nodded. "You're right. The sooner I go, the sooner I'm done with Uther. See you two soon," she finished and followed the guard outside.

Once they were gone, Merlin smiled at Gwen. "And down we go again..."

Gwen smiled back as she headed out as well. "So, how _was _I cured?" she finally asked while they were climbing down the stairs once more.

Merlin hesitated. "Didn't Arthur tell you anything?"

"Why, is there something he should have told me?"

He shrugged dismissively. "No, nothing."

"You know, when I took that drug that made me sleep... I wasn't entirely unconscious. It felt more like being in a cotton ball. And I could hear voices, close to me."

Merlin felt uncomfortable. Could he have inadvertently betrayed himself while he thought she was unconscious? Had she heard him casting spells as he unsuccessfully tried to heal her?

"I recognised some of those voices," Gwen continued. "Morgana's of course, but also yours and Arthur's." She paused, as if to give him the chance to intervene if he wanted to. He decided to remain silent and see where she was going first. "I don't remember hearing Gaius at all. It's not to him that I owe being able to stand and walk again, is it?"

"No, it's not," Merlin admitted. It was no use denying that. "Did you understand anything we said while watching over you?" he asked tentatively.

Thankfully, Gwen shook her head. "I could make out very few words, most of it was muffled. Sometimes it even sounded like you were speaking complete gibberish. Or maybe it was just a side effect of the drug, I don't know..."

Or, Merlin thought, maybe they were just magical words...

Gwen suddenly smirked. "Why are you asking, by the way? Did I miss any interesting conversation? Have you been talking about me?"

"Actually, we kept saying how horrible a person you were," Merlin played along. "I'm glad you didn't hear that, it certainly would have broken your heart."

"Oh, good then..." Gwen's smile vanished slowly. "Seriously, Merlin, how did you manage to heal me? Right before I was cured, I remember a... a sensation, a warmth... soothing... appeasing..." She lowered her voice. "It was magic, wasn't it?"

Merlin remained silent once more. Should he tell her? He didn't want to make a blunder in case Arthur didn't intend her to know the whole truth. No matter his own implication in the spell casting itself, it was not his place to tell her. Arthur had clearly stated it was his choice and responsibility to resort to magic. Merlin was sure Arthur would want to be the one to tell Gwen.

"You shouldn't make that sort of assertion in places such as this one. Who knows who could -"

Merlin stopped as they reached the entrance to the Great Hall. Its doors had remained open, and from what he could hear, it seemed Morgana, Arthur and the King were having the very same conversation as they were. Both Morgana and Uther were wondering how Gwen had been cured without Gaius' help.

"Speak, Arthur. How?" the King insisted.

"Well, there is a perfectly good explanation," Arthur began slowly.

Merlin gave a quick look inside. Arthur seemed embarrassed and unable to provide any explication to his father. Somehow, Merlin found it refreshing to see the prince in his shoes, struggling to find how to lie his way out of a situation provoked by the usage of magic. Actually, he found the change quite enjoyable.

But even if Arthur was the one in the position Merlin was usually in, it was different. This time, they were two to carry the burden of that secret.

"Yesterday, I passed by Gaius' laboratory," Arthur continued. Merlin knew he was only trying to buy himself some time while he thought of something. "That's when I -"

"Sire," Merlin hailed as he rushed into the Great Hall. "I beg your pardon for interrupting you, but I can't let Arthur cover up for my mistakes."

Three heads immediately turned to him with surprise.

"Merlin, what the devil do you think you're doing?" Arthur muttered to him.

The warlock remained impassible.

"Speak up, Merlin," Uther invited. "What mistakes are you talking about?"

"Gaius had prepared a potion to help ease the pain Gwen experienced because of that disease. He asked me to bring it to her." He paused briefly. The King waved him to go on while Arthur was trying to hide he himself wanted to know where Merlin was going exactly. "In the laboratory I inadvertently knocked a few ingredients over and it got mixed with the potion. I didn't want to get into trouble so I cleaned everything and gave the altered composition to Gwen."

Uther stared at him. "And this is what cured that girl?" he asked unbelievingly.

"I believe so," Merlin said with a shrug. "She recovered immediately after drinking it."

"So you're claiming you accidentally found a cure to this disease?" Uther asked again.

"I suppose that's what I did, Sire," Merlin continued. "However, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to produce any more of this cure. I have no idea what ingredients were added to the original mixture."

"Is it what happened, Arthur?" Uther finally questioned.

"Absolutely, Sire," Arthur said with an impressive confidence.

The King looked thoughtful for several seconds. He finally shook his head and sighed. "Morgana, as I was saying, do not leave the castle under any circumstances. Arthur, begin the searches for the witch immediately. And..." he began while looking at Merlin hesitantly. "Find whatever punishment you deem appropriate for this boy's clumsiness."

"Of course Sire," Arthur agreed. After those last words, Uther left the Great Hall. Arthur immediately turned to Merlin: "How do you come up with this stuff?"

Merlin had to admit he was getting a little too good at this – though he wondered how anyone could believe the story he'd just made up. The King must be either very tired or extremely preoccupied these days.

Meanwhile, Gwen had entered the room to join them. "What's going on? I'm quite sure I wasn't healed accidentally."

"Merlin, you would never have given Gwen an altered potion if for all you knew it could have done more harm than good," Morgana pointed out. "What are you two hiding?" she asked, looking alternately at Merlin and Arthur.

The latter gave a quick look around. "Let's find some place with less ears..."


	13. Chapter 13

Arthur led them all to an unused room adjoining the Great Hall.

"Will you tell us at last what happened?" Morgana urged. Both her and Gwen were looking at him expectantly.

He took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy. "As you know, Gaius' attempts at healing you, Guinevere, were unsuccessful. The disease kept spreading. Soon there was very little time left and we were out of solutions. So we..." Arthur stopped abruptly. No, that wasn't right. "_I_ decided to ask for external help."

"External help? Who are you talking about?" Morgana insisted.

Arthur hesitated, but their was only one way to say it. "The witch that was captured the other day. I helped her escape from the dungeons."

Both women instantly understood what that implied.

"You used magic..." Morgana whispered.

Arthur observed Gwen's reaction: she remained silent, staring into the distance, probably still chocked by the news.

"You, Arthur, chose to use magic!" Morgana continued as she began smiling.

"We even helped a little," Merlin chimed in.

"Merlin!" Arthur scolded.

His manservant shrugged. "I just thought it was worth mentioning..."

Morgana's smile widened. "You mean you actually practised magic yourself? This is quite astonishing. I would never have believed you'd ever do such a thing."

But Gwen still hadn't said a word and Arthur was anxious to know _her_ thoughts. "Guinevere?" She looked up at him at last. "Don't you want to say something about this?"

"Well, I'm grateful for the help, naturally, but... Why would you do this? Why would you use magic, of all things?"

Arthur was taken aback by the underlying reproaches in her tone. "Like I said, there was no other choice. You're cured, that's all that matters."

"Did you even think of the consequences?"

"Gwen, why are you so upset?" Merlin intervened.

"I didn't know you felt so strongly against magic," Morgana added, sounding slightly unsure.

But Arthur had an inkling as to what was bothering her. "Guinevere. I won't let any harm come to you because of how you were cured, I promise. The matter is already handled, you heard the King drop the subject earlier. You won't be held responsible for any of this."

"I'm not worried about me," Gwen clarified. "There was no need for you to break the law over me. What will the King do if he ever learns you did? Was it really necessary to go that far?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Merlin replied, "all of us here would have done the exact same to save you, as would you if the situation had been reversed."

"Of course we would," Morgana confirmed.

"I'm just a maid. I'm not worth risking a throne."

Arthur remained silent while Merlin and Morgana continued denying Gwen's statements. What would happen if his father found out he had used magic was rather easy to guess. He couldn't let even his son – _especially _not his son - defy his authority so openly. He probably wouldn't go as far as having him killed but the least to be expected were disownment and banishment. Arthur was aware of his own popularity among the people of Camelot, and the latter might feel compelled to take sides between their King and their cast out Prince. That could even lead to civil war. In conclusion, worst case scenario: his one single act could endanger decades of pacification efforts all over the Kingdom.

Gwen probably hadn't thought any farther than the direct consequences for himself, but she definitely had a point. However, he couldn't help feeling flattered she would worry about him.

Arthur interrupted her current argument by placing his hands on her shoulders. "We're friends, right? And that's what friends do," he spoke softly. He knew Gwen would get the reference to their conversation from the previous night while the others wouldn't. "Please worry no more about this."

Gwen nodded. "All right," she agreed with an imperceptible smile he knew was meant for him only.

Arthur removed his hands. "This has to stay between the four of us. You shall not speak of this to anyone. Is that clear?" he asked with insistence. They all agreed silently. "Good. Now I need to organise a rigged witch hunt that looks convincing enough to fool the King..."

"Is that what Uther was asking you to do?" Morgana asked. "Search for the witch, while you're actually the one who had her escape?"

Arthur nodded quickly.

"Don't you already know where she is?" Gwen asked.

"She's hiding in my room," Merlin supplied.

"I hope you don't intend to hand her over!" Morgana worried. "If she healed Gwen, she can probably heal the villagers as well. But Uther is too stubborn and he'll have her burn at the stake no matter what."

"Could you all please shut up?" Arthur requested with a heavy sigh. "I need to think..." Then he started pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself. "What would I do if I really were looking for that witch?... The whole city is already covered by dozens of guards, she wouldn't be able to take a single step without being spotted... So I would concentrate my searches on the castle itself... Yes, I'd do a thorough search of the castle..." He turned to his manservant. "Merlin, you have to get her out of the castle."

"Can't you just avoid Gaius' laboratory during the search?" Merlin suggested.

"My father will be following this closely. He'll notice if I deliberately skip some area," Arthur pointed out.

"But where else could I take her?"

"Take her to my house," Gwen offered. "And don't try to convince me otherwise," she warned when Arthur started to object. "She healed me, it's the least I can do."

"Your house is on the other side of the city near the gates," Merlin remarked. "We'd have to get past all the guards to reach it, they're at every corner. We'll never make it all the way there."

There was a way, Arthur thought. A way that could take them past nearly all the guards, close to Gwen's house. A way he wasn't supposed to mention to any living soul. Oh well. He had broken so many laws over the last hours, why not add the violation of a solemn oath sworn to his father over ten years before?

"There's a secret passage leading from the west wing to the western wall, under the city," Arthur began. "The entrance is not very far from the laboratory, and the tunnel will take you close to Guinevere's house. Once there, you should be able to get past the last guards."

"I never heard of this secret passage," Morgana intervened.

"It was built during the construction of the castle. Its existence is known to the Royal family only, my father told me about it years before you came to live with us," Arthur explained, but he could tell Morgana was slightly hurt that, even as the King's ward, she hadn't been told about it before. "It's normally meant to be used as an emergency exit in case of a siege, it continues beyond the wall towards the forest."

"So how do we access it?" Merlin asked.

"In the secondary corridor in the west wing, there's a statue of my great-grandfather. There's a lever behind the hanging on its left, activate it and the passage will open."

Merlin seemed thoughtful for a second. "The statue of the bearded man with a sword?"

Arthur nodded.

"He's your great-grandfather?"

Arthur sighed, slightly exasperated. "Could we discuss genealogy some other day?"

"All right. Behind the hanging left of the statue in the west wing, I've got it," Merlin summed up.

"Guinevere, you should get back to your house, and you, Morgana, have to stay here in the castle like the King instructed," Arthur resumed.

"No way," Morgana replied immediately. "I'm not staying here while there are hundreds of people outside that need help."

"The King ordered that you -"

"Arthur," Morgana interrupted. "You know you won't manage to talk me out of this, so let's save time and go directly to the part where you let me do whatever I please."

"And I won't sit quietly at my house just waiting for someone to do something either," Gwen added. "Surely there must be some way we can help."

Arthur really didn't have the patience today to argue endlessly with two strong-willed women like Morgana and Gwen. "You're right. We need all the help we can get," he abdicated, "and there is indeed something you could do. It will probably be hours before I can meet with all of you again. In the meantime, you can try to find the source of this epidemic. Make enquiries, find what's common to all those who got sick. But don't take any action before I'm back. Do you all agree to this?"

Arthur was glad to see all three of them agreed with no further complain.

"I'll see you all at Guinevere's house as soon as I can," he concluded. "Merlin, one last thing," he called back while they were all heading out. His manservant walked back towards him. "About the witch..."

"Livia," Merlin supplied.

"Yes, so... The witch," Arthur repeated. "While you take her out of the castle, I want you to talk to her. Try and see if there is any chance she could be in fact the one responsible for this curse. She has a political commitment, it wouldn't be the first time someone undertook harsh actions just to impose one's opinions."

"She was with us the whole night, I doubt she had anything to do with all of this. And I'd hardly call her beliefs a political commitment."

"You have to admit the coincidence is troubling," Arthur argued. "So unless you know anyone else in the castle capable of casting those curses, let's investigate all options."

Merlin nodded his agreement silently.

"Good. Let's get going then."

* * *

As Merlin walked down the corridor, he gave a quick look above his shoulder to make sure he was out of Arthur's sight. Then instead of taking a turn right to get back to the laboratory, he took a turn left. If anyone would be able to tell him who was responsible for the curse, it was the dragon. He had called him the previous night – had he tried to warn Merlin?

He entered the dragon's cave, a lit torch in his hand. The dragon was sitting at his usual spot, on top of the rocky peak.

"_I gather you came here to ask me about the curse that has befallen Camelot,_" the dragon immediately said without any greeting.

"You know about it?"

"_I felt it. I'm surprised you didn't, it was a very strong curse._"

"That's why you called me last night, right? So you know what caused it?"

"_I do, indeed._"

Merlin waited for the dragon to tell him more. But he didn't. "Why did you call me?"

"_I wanted to warn you. Don't try to stop this epidemic._"

"What?" Merlin exclaimed.

"_You have to let it pass._"

"You mean I should let all these people die without doing anything?"

"_I'm afraid this is a necessary sacrifice._"

"No, I can't do that," Merlin refused. "Tell me what caused the epidemic and I'll find a way to fix things."

"_Oh I'm sure you would. That's precisely why I won't answer your question._"

"Why not?"

"_Because stopping this epidemic will only reinforce the evil at its source. Better hundreds now than thousands or more later._"

Merlin shook his head. "I don't understand."

"_And I don't expect you to. All I am asking of you is to follow my advice._"

"I can't, and I won't," Merlin concluded and turned around.

He heard the dragon call as he left the cave: "_Heed my words, Merlin! Just let it pass!_"


	14. Chapter 14

Merlin kept pondering over the dragon's warning while he headed back to the laboratory. This was absolute nonsense. How could curing those people make the situation worse? And why did the dragon always have to speak in ridiculously mysterious riddles? If he really wanted him to follow his advice, why not explain his thoughts clearly?

He hurried into the laboratory, immediately heading for his room. He didn't know how long it would be until Arthur came there, so he'd better get Livia out of the castle as soon as possible.

"Merlin."

The warlock stopped dead in his tracks, and finally noticed his tutor, sitting at the main table. "Oh, Gaius, I... didn't expect you here. Aren't you supposed to be down in the city with the sick villagers?"

"Come sit over here, my boy," Gaius invited, indicating the chair on the other side of the table.

"I'm quite in a hurry right now," Merlin apologised. How was he going to get Livia out with Gaius still in the laboratory?

"Come. Sit," Gaius ordered.

Merlin did as he was asked. As soon as he was sitting, Gaius stood up and started pacing around the room. Merlin crossed his arms over his chest and waited. He wasn't sure what this was about.

"Merlin," Gaius finally began slowly. "I believe it is high time you and I had a little talk."

"Gaius, I really need to get going," Merlin insisted, "could this wait?"

"I'm afraid it can't."

Merlin sighed. "All right... What do you want to talk about?" he asked while tapping his foot nervously on the ground, hoping it wouldn't last too long.

Gaius stood next to him. "About secretly bringing girls back to your room at night."

"Oh," Merlin mouthed as he realised what that meant. "You... found Livia, then?"

"Yes, I am aware of the presence of that young woman in your room."

"And... somehow you don't seem to be mad at me," Merlin noted with surprise.

"I'll admit I was a little upset at first, but I understand it's only natural. Even though it was a long time ago, I have been a young man once myself."

Merlin stared at Gaius. What was he talking about? Gaius had never seen Livia before, but surely she must have told him who she was? What was so natural about bringing a woman back to -

Oh. Oooooooh.

"So, let's discuss how a gentleman should behave with the ladies," Gaius continued calmly.

"Gaius, no, I didn't... She's not..." Merlin mumbled incoherently, then sighed heavily. "She's the witch that escaped from the dungeons. I hid her there," he finally confessed.

"Of course she is! Why does it always take you so long to tell the truth?" Gaius burst out and gave him a quick slap on the back of his head.

"Ow!"

"Why did you lie to me about it this morning? Don't you trust me enough?"

"So you _are_ mad at me," Merlin concluded with another sigh.

Gaius glared at him silently for a second. "What were you thinking, bringing her here? What do you think would have happened if anyone other than me had found her?" he scolded.

"I know, Gaius. But I had to take her somewhere."

His tutor kept observing him. "I talked with her," he eventually said. "She told me how Arthur helped her escape and then let you deal with her once Gwen was healed. I understand why you did what you did, but you should have told me what happened. She can't stay here, Merlin."

"That's why I came here: to take her somewhere else," Merlin explained. "Arthur is supposed to search the castle for her." Then he hesitated. "Did she tell you how we cured Gwen, and about the dryad magic too?"

"Yes, I believe she told me everything, unlike some young warlock I know," Gaius replied with a slightly reproachful tone. "Dryad magic is powerful but not very well documented. I'll see if I can find any information about it somewhere."

"Do you think Livia is the one responsible for this whole epidemic?" Merlin asked in a lower voice.

"You know I'm normally a rather distrustful person, but I have to admit that for once, I don't think she could be. Livia and I talked for quite a while, and along the way I discovered I knew her grandmother."

"Really?" Merlin asked with surprise. "Small world..."

"Small world indeed... Anyway, her grandmother... She was an idealist. She believed that by perpetuating magical knowledge through oral transmission only, it would be possible to filter that knowledge and to raise a new generation of sorcerers entirely unaware of any offensive magic, ultimately resulting in the eradication of dark magic itself."

"Is this the same grandmother Livia mentioned to be a little crazy?"

"She could be considered a little eccentric by most standards," Gaius admitted, "but certainly not crazy. You need to understand those were different times, during which the usage of magic was still vastly accepted. And if it weren't for Uther's obstinacy, this could have been an alternative to the Great Purge."

"So you don't think Livia has anything to do with all of this either?" Merlin asked, urging Gaius back to his original question. The lesson on the history of magic could wait.

"Back then, I personally didn't think what her grandmother was dreaming to do was possible at all. But from what I gathered from Livia's perception of magic, it seems she did succeed in raising her children and grandchildren according to that belief. And apparently there are others," Gaius began to drift again. "This group of young sorcerers, dedicated to the good in magic with no afterthought... There could be hope there..." he continued, mumbling to himself with a faraway look.

"Gaius?"

His tutor snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes?"

"Arthur could get here with guards any minute," Merlin reminded. "We really need to go."

"Oh, of course... Livia, you can come over here dear," Gaius called.

Livia stepped out of Merlin's room, looking at him somewhat apologetically.

"I trust you and Arthur already have a plan," Gaius told Merlin. The latter nodded. "The disease striking the villagers is less virulent than the one that ailed Gwen, it's spreading more slowly. That will leave us more time. I'll look for more information on dryad magic. Be careful, the two of you," Gaius concluded as parting words.

* * *

Merlin had found the lever and secret passage right where Arthur had indicated. The tunnel was dark and seemed endless. They'd already been walking for at least ten minutes now.

Livia was following him very closely to take advantage of his torch's light – though Merlin suspected it might also be due to the presence of many wide spider webs, if the occasional high-pitched screaming was any indication. Other than that, the witch had remained rather silent since they left the laboratory.

"I'm sorry about earlier..." she finally began, and sighed. "You'd been gone for hours, I thought..."

"It's all right. At least it gave you the chance to talk with an acquaintance of your grandmother's," Merlin replied.

"True. I suppose he's the same Gaius she used to talk about."

"Oh, she talked about him?" he asked with amusement.

"Yes, sometimes she told me about her old flames."

When Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, she bumped into his back.

"What? Why did you stop?"

"No reason..." he dismissed. Focus, Merlin, focus, he motivated himself as he resumed walking, trying to forget the disturbing mental image that had just popped in his head at her words.

After a couple of minutes only, Merlin noticed a ladder attached to the wall on his right. He lifted the torch above his head: the ladder led to what looked like a trapdoor.

"Here we are. Hold this," he said while handing the torch to Livia. Then he proceeded to climb the ladder.

"Are you sure? The tunnel keeps going."

"We've been walking for a quarter of an hour, we should be somewhere near the city's walls now. The tunnel continues beyond the wall out of the city, we don't want to go that far," Merlin explained.

He slowly pushed the trapdoor open and took a peek outside: he was under an alcove into what he could only guess was the western wall - he had never noticed that alcove before. Merlin made sure the way was clear then heaved himself through the opening. Once out, he held out an arm back down the hole. "Drop the torch, I'll help you up."

No answer. And now that he thought about it, no torchlight either, only darkness.

"Livia?" he called, suddenly worried she might have chosen to let them down to escape through the tunnel. But the light eventually returned and he felt a hand grab his arm.

A few seconds later, they were both out and the trapdoor had been closed and concealed.

"This was the perfect opportunity for you to leave Camelot and all this trouble behind," Merlin remarked, "what made you come back?"

"The spiders. They were huge," she joked, strangely hiding the real reason why she decided to stay.

Merlin smiled. "Then I'm glad you're scared of spiders, because we'll need your help here."

"So, were is Gwen's house?" Livia asked.

"Right over there," Merlin indicated. Arthur's estimation had been very accurate: it was only a little down the street, and they would have to get past only one group of guards. As expected this would be the trickiest part, but Merlin had had the whole journey down the tunnel to think about it. He looked around the area for the distraction he would need.

Merlin put his hood up and asked Livia to do the same. Then he headed into the flow of people, straight towards the guards. There were six of them, spread over the crossroad, examining everyone one by one, allowing no one to sneak past them.

"Merlin, they're going to see us, they'll recognise me," Livia warned, sounding distressed. "Merlin?"

"Trust me. Follow me and stay close," he instructed.

He kept advancing with resolve. Once they were only a few yards away from the guards, he concentrated all his attention and power towards a rack displaying clay items in front of the potter's workshop. When he squinted, the rack began to sway dangerously, until it finally toppled and crashed over two of the guards.

The remaining guards instantly went to help the others. Merlin seized that opportunity to stride past all of them unnoticed while they were busy. He took a quick look over his shoulder to check Livia was still following, and was stunned to see her immobile in the middle of the street, staring at something beyond the whole scene.

Merlin immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the guards' sight, beside Gwen's house. "What are you doing? What's wrong?"

"This is Dunstan," Livia explained, pointing at the back of a man walking away in an opposite direction.

Merlin looked over her shoulder. "Are you sure it's him?"

"What is he doing here?" she exclaimed. "You said you convinced him not to come!"

"I don't know, he must have changed his mind." When the witch made a movement to leave he caught her arm again. "Livia, no."

"He came because of me," the witch insisted. "He's heading for the castle, he must think I'm still in the dungeons."

"The guards are looking for you and you only. He's safe. Go after him and you'll be killed before you even reach him." Despite Merlin's arguments, she still looked torn. "You know I'm right. Come on," he insisted.

Ultimately, though with obvious reluctance, Livia followed Merlin into Gwen's house.


	15. Chapter 15

Arthur followed his knights out of the room they'd just finished to search and then to the next one. Those were unoccupied chambers for guests, the last rooms on the floor. He let the guards examine every corner, and while supervising their work, he resumed his recurring activity of the last hours: try to think of some way to have the witch heal every sick villager without being noticed.

No matter how he turned it in his head, he always ended up stuck, one way or the other.

The most obvious solution would be to have her heal all of them one by one. The major issues would be that first, it would take way too much time to perform – probably several days - and second, that would considerably increase her chances to be spotted and arrested by one of the guards roaming the streets. Right now she was the only person they knew capable of doing anything against that curse, so they couldn't take that risk.

Another rather obvious solution would be to resort to some kind of global healing, by having her cure all of those people in one shot. Of Arthur's own admittance, his knowledge of magic was extremely limited. He wasn't sure this sort of thing was possible. But even if it were, Arthur was concerned about the witch's ability to perform it. Healing Gwen the previous night had already seemed very draining, and if magic had any logic, the feat of healing an entire city should require a lot more power.

He would have to talk about this directly with her.

Once the knights were done with the current room, Arthur followed them outside and noticed his father walking down the corridor towards him.

"Arthur," Uther immediately called, "have you seen Morgana?"

Arthur shrugged. "She was resting in her chambers when we searched it earlier today," he lied.

"She's not there any more," the King stated.

"She can't be far," Arthur asserted. "I'll let her know you're looking for her when I see her."

Uther nodded absent-mindedly, but Arthur knew that Morgana's stubbornness to leave the castle may cause his father to understand something was off.

"How about the witch hunt? Any progress?"

"We just finished searching the East and South wings," Arthur informed him. "We're about to continue with the West wing, we should be done with the castle in a couple of hours."

"Good. Find her quickly, Arthur. I want that witch on the stake tomorrow at dawn."

"I will find her, Sire, though I believe tomorrow morning might be too high an expectation," Arthur tempered. "By the time we finish searching the castle, it will be nearly night already, and we'll still have the whole city to -"

"Tomorrow at dawn, Arthur," Uther repeated with insistence.

Arthur eventually nodded obediently. "I will do my best, Sire."

"And please give orders to the knights to better handle the access to the castle. It will turn into a riot soon if nothing is done."

Arthur gave a quick look through a window and immediately saw a crowd of villagers, gathered at the castle's gates. "Right away, Sire."

While Uther continued on his way, Arthur turned to his men: "Start searching the West wing, I'll catch up with you there soon."

By now Merlin should have had more than enough time to get the witch out of the castle, it should be safe to send his men there. Arthur parted ways with his knights to head for the gates.

On his way, he couldn't help but think there was something wrong about his father. He couldn't quite pinpoint what was bothering him exactly, but the King's overall attitude regarding the situation was a little unsettling. Over the last years, Uther had begun to delegate more and more tasks to Arthur, which was of course absolutely natural. But he was apparently very keen on finding the witch quickly, so Arthur was somewhat surprised he wasn't participating actively in the search himself.

All the while asking for better results, Uther had looked distracted and even a little tense, as if he was preoccupied by something else. Even earlier that day, he had believed Merlin's lie so easily...

What could possibly be on his mind?

Arthur soon reached the castle's entrance and joined the guards there. The portcullis had been lowered in order to prevent anyone from getting within the castle itself. The guards were forming a chain, their arms wide open, trying to keep the numerous villagers gathered and pushing from being crushed against the gate.

"What's going on? What is all this commotion?" Arthur asked to the soldier in charge.

"Sire, these people all seek refuge and help. They think they'll be safe from the epidemic in the castle, or at least safer, but the King specifically ordered that they should remain outside in case it's contagious."

The people at the front of the crowd quickly saw and recognised Arthur. Immediately, some tried to reach him or talked to him directly. In the middle of the global hubbub, Arthur could only understand very few words, but most were saying the same things:

"Help me!"

"Let us in!"

"My baby! Please save my baby!" a woman was even crying, holding a newborn child above her head.

"Sire, what are your orders?" the knight in charge asked Arthur.

"Has the King made any public declaration regarding the situation?"

"I don't believe so, my Lord."

Arthur nodded. Those people were angry. They were in danger and expected their King to support them and to provide them with a solution, or at least to appear concerned. But instead of that the King seemed missing and contenting himself with keeping them away from the castle.

However, his father was right: letting the people in wouldn't change anything. It may appease their ire for a short time, but they would understand soon they had no solution to offer – not yet anyway.

Arthur climbed on a stone to make sure everyone could see him.

"People of Camelot," he called. "I know you are all worried about this strange disease. The court physician is trying to find a cure as we speak. But as of now, there is nothing for you to gain by entering the castle. There are sick people there too. We're doing everything we can to stop the sickness. I'm personally investigating this and I promise we'll find a solution soon."

Arthur could tell the people's discontentment was calming down.

"Please break up," he continued. "Get back to your homes, tend to the sick ones. We'll bring help soon, you have my word."

Slowly, the people finally began to disperse. The knights relaxed and lowered their guard. That was probably why a young man managed to rush past them. But thanks to sharp reflexes, Arthur instantly drew his sword and blocked his way with its blade. The man raised his arms to show he surrendered while the guards backed up Arthur by drawing their swords too.

"Sir, you heard me. We have no cure yet. Please leave," Arthur insisted. For a second, he thought he recognised that man. Had they met before?

"I'm not here because of the disease. I came to see my fiancée, she's held prisoner in the dungeons," the man explained.

"The access to the castle is strictly forbidden. You have to move back, now."

"Her name is Livia, I know she's in the dungeons and I demand to see her."

Arthur really didn't like that man's tone.

"There is no woman by that name in the dungeons," he stated, though he knew he had heard that name recently, but where? "For the last time, move back."

"I will not leave until I've seen her," the man answered categorically.

Arthur's patience finally reached its end. "All right. Let's take you to the dungeons then. And maybe after a few hours locked up there you'll have learned a little respect." At a wave of his hand, the guards seized the man.

While they escorted him away, Arthur went on his own way, back to the castle, to continue the search. He joined the guards in the West wing, where they had already reached Gaius' laboratory.

"Nothing here, Sire," one declared and proceeded to Merlin's room with the others.

Arthur followed them there.

He stepped around idly, his arms crossed over his chest, while his knights searched the room. He suddenly came to a stop and, frowning, looked down to his feet. He tapped the floor again with his heel: it did sound hollow. And two of the floor's boards were loose.

So, Merlin had a secret hideout, Arthur thought, the hint of a grin forming on his lips.

"Nothing here either, Sire," one of the knights announced.

Arthur nodded. When the knights headed outside, he began to follow them, only to stop after a few steps.

This was really none of his business, he reasoned. But still, he had to admit he was curious... What could Merlin think needed hiding? Secret love letters maybe? he wondered with a smirk.

"I'll be with you in a minute," Arthur finally told the last knight to leave the room.

Once he was alone, Arthur returned to the loose boards and removed them. Beneath, in a barely big enough gap, was... a book.

A book?

Arthur picked it up cautiously. It was worn out and seemed ancient. When he took a closer look at its cover, he suddenly had a really bad feeling about it. With a little dread, he finally opened it and flipped the pages slowly.

Monsters. Creatures of magic. Spells. Potions.

As Arthur slammed the book shut, several pieces of the puzzle that Merlin was suddenly fell into place in his mind.


	16. Chapter 16

Merlin and Livia were soon joined by Morgana and Gwen in the latter's house. After introducing the witch properly to the two other women, they all started to discuss what Gwen and Morgana had discovered.

"There doesn't seem to be any logic, all sorts of people are struck," Gwen began. "Men and women of all ages, children, even babies..."

"There is no obvious common point between them," Morgana continued. "They come from all parts of the city, but the southern area has clearly been affected the most."

"There must be a source of contamination somewhere, probably south of the city," Gwen suggested. "It has to be something everybody is using. Could it come from the water supply, like that one time?"

"Merlin, you're not saying anything," Morgana remarked.

Indeed, Merlin had remained very silent. Even if a source of contamination could be identified, someone must have set it there. "There are many wells, all around the castle," he finally said. "If it came from the water supply, all parts of the city would be affected equally."

"What about you, Livia?" Morgana enquired. "Since you managed to cure this curse once, you must have an opinion on what could have caused it?"

"I... I really don't know... This isn't exactly my area of expertise..." Livia answered distractedly while biting her nails.

Merlin noted she looked troubled. Actually, she didn't even seem to really care about their current discussion. He assumed that knowing of Dunstan's presence in Camelot was certainly worrying her.

They probably shouldn't count on her for any sort of brainstorming.

"What about a shop?" Merlin asked the two other women. "What shops are there in the southern -"

Merlin was interrupted by a loud bang on the door.

"What was this?" Gwen wondered aloud.

She immediately headed for the door and opened it with apparently no concern for any possible danger. There was an old man lying on the doorstep, unconscious. According to his body's position, it looked like he had collapsed in the street and banged his head on Gwen's door during his fall. Both his neck and a large portion of his head had turned into wood.

"I know this man, he lives down the corner," Gwen said, then asked the others: "We can't leave him like that, help me carry him to my bed."

Both Merlin and Morgana complied right away. While doing so, Merlin realised one of the man's arms and one of his legs were also rigid.

"He's a widower and has no children. He has no one to look after him..." Gwen told them sadly while examining the man's disease. She turned to Livia: "Can you heal him? He's a good man. He's been so kind to me after my father died..."

Livia hesitated for a second. "I wish I could, but I can't, I'm sorry..." she finally answered apologetically. "I'm not powerful enough."

"But you managed to heal Gwen," Morgana insisted. "Shouldn't it be the same?"

Merlin could tell from Livia's lost look that she had no valid answer to provide other than the truth. He hurried to intervene: "The disease is apparently at a more advanced stage for this man. Healing him would probably require more power than was necessary for Gwen, right?"

"Yes, exactly," the witch agreed with a hint of relief in her voice.

"For the moment he's out, but he must have been in a lot of pain if he collapsed," Gwen pointed out. "Is there any of that drug you gave me left?"

Morgana handed her the small vial forgotten on a shelf, and Gwen gave the man a few drops. While still unconscious, he now looked a little more peaceful.

"Merlin, you were suggesting something about shops in the southern area?" Morgana encouraged him to continue.

"Yes, what if one shop, probably located in the southern area, sold a cursed item to all these people?" Merlin resumed.

"It's mostly a residential zone, there aren't that many shops," Gwen remarked. "There's... A blacksmith... A baker..."

"The baker! Bread!" Morgana exclaimed. "Bread bought there could contaminate people from all around the city!"

"But you said there were sick babies too," Merlin objected, "and they don't eat bread. What are the other shops?"

"A tailor... A candlemaker..." Gwen continued.

"Candles. The smoke..." Merlin thought aloud.

"If it were the candles, then all the members of a family living under the same roof would be sick, and that's not the case," Morgana pointed out.

"We should get back there. People will usually go to the shops closest to their homes, maybe we can find a more precise place where more people than anywhere else got sick," Gwen reasoned.

Even though he was the one who had suggested it, Merlin didn't really believe in the theory of a shop selling cursed items. How could hundreds of people fall sick at the very same time, overnight? For him, the only plausible explanation was that someone had cast a curse that night, and another one a day before on Gwen only. And if there were more affected people in the southern area, that was probably because that was where the spell caster had been. In any case, identifying some sort of central zone could still help determine where the curse had been cast.

Arthur chose that moment to join them, opening the door rather violently. He headed straight for Merlin, jaw clenched and fists closed, not granting anyone else a single look. He seemed downright furious, Merlin wasn't sure he had ever seen him like that.

"Arthur, is there anything wr-"

"What is this?" Arthur interrupted coldly and dropped a book on the table.

Merlin's blood froze as he recognised it immediately. His magic book.

"What is this?" Arthur repeated, a little louder and more angrily.

"I... don't know what to say..." Merlin mumbled, not daring to look at Arthur in the eyes.

"What about the truth, for instance?" Arthur urged. "So how long? How long has this been going on? From the start? Or did you learn along the way?"

Merlin shook his head evasively. Ironically, now that his secret was out, he really couldn't think of anything to say one way or the other.

"I can't believe I've been so stupid and so blind! I should have understood long ago!"

Arthur wasn't yelling, but he was so obviously and completely upset and outraged that it was all the same. Merlin remained silent, still staring at his feet.

"All this time, you were lying to me, betraying me while I gave you my entire trust!"

Arthur's accusations finally triggered Merlin's reaction. He looked up at him at last. "I never betrayed you! I've always served you faithfully and to the best of my abilities! I have nothing to be ashamed of!"

"Really? How do you call this then?" Arthur demanded, pointing at the magic book.

"Erm, it's my book," a small voice intervened timidly.

Merlin suddenly remembered he and Arthur weren't alone. All the others had remained respectfully quiet during Arthur's outburst.

Arthur turned to Livia and snorted. "What are you doing? Is this sorcerers solidarity? Is it custom to lie to protect one another?"

"No, really, it's -"

"It's _not _your book," Arthur stated categorically.

"But it is," Livia insisted shyly.

Merlin knew what she was doing. Indeed, lying to protect him. But Arthur would never believe her. It was too late, he was already too far down his own reasoning.

"You want to play that game, fine!" Arthur complied. "Where was it?"

"I hid it under the floor in Merlin's room, I thought I'd retrieve it later," Livia answered.

"Nice guess," Arthur conceded, though Merlin remembered he had put it back there that morning in front of Livia. "What's in it?"

"It's an encyclopaedia of magic, including spells and a bestiary."

"Naturally," Arthur agreed wryly. He picked up the book and opened it so he only could see. Then, he asked sneakily: "What's on the last page?"

"I don't know the whole book by heart."

"What's on the last page?" Arthur repeated, imperturbable.

Livia hesitated. "It's a spell. A spell to... freeze water."

Merlin knew she had provided the correct answer – but how, he wondered?

"It's not your book," Arthur persisted nonetheless.

"There's a torn page near the middle," Livia continued.

Arthur flipped the pages until he got confirmation. "I don't know how you're doing this, but still, it's _not_ your book," Arthur maintained, but Merlin thought he sounded like he was starting to doubt.

"It's a family heirloom, my mother gave it to me as a gift. Check the flyleaf."

Reluctantly, Arthur opened the book to the first page, and seemed to read something – and what that could be, Merlin had no idea, as far as he knew the flyleaf was blank. Then Arthur closed the book and remained silent. He had his back to Merlin, so the latter couldn't tell what was going on his mind. He couldn't until slowly, Arthur handed the book to Livia.

Arthur stayed still a few more seconds, and finally turned to Merlin. "It seems I made a mistake. I owe you an apology," he began with obvious efforts. "I'm deeply sorry, I found this book in your room and immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion. I hope you can forgive me for my bad judgement. I promise I will make it up to you."

So his secret had been saved once more, at the very last second this time... But strangely, Merlin didn't feel relieved. He didn't feel relieved at all. Quite the opposite.

Even if Arthur had been angry, which was absolutely legitimate after all, he hadn't reacted half as bad as he could have. He hadn't come with knights to arrest him and take him to the dungeons as soon as he had found out like he should have according to the law; he had come alone to discuss it face to face with him. He hadn't been concerned about the magic itself; he had been concerned about the trust he had put in Merlin.

And for a few seconds, Merlin had tasted freedom. No more lies, no more secrets...

This was his chance, maybe his one and only...

"Arthur, you were right, I _am_ a warlock," Merlin declared.

Arthur sighed. "Merlin..."

"I'm serious, this _is_ my magic b-"

"Merlin!" Arthur interrupted. "I made a fool of myself, I get it, and I won't doubt you again. Could we please drop the subject once and for all?" he requested with wounded pride.

"Of course," Merlin whispered with disappointment. One step forward, three steps backwards...

"Good. Now, Morgana, go back to the castle. The King is looking for you and if he doesn't find you in the castle soon, he'll understand you've been gone and it could spoil everything we're trying to do here." When Morgana opened her mouth to protest, Arthur immediately continued: "This is not a suggestion, this is an order."

Morgana hesitated only very briefly. Without a word, she nodded and left the house. Merlin supposed that if for once, Morgana had obeyed without complaining, that was probably because Arthur looked a lot like his father when he was upset like this, and that made him quite intimidating.

"I have a few things left to settle, I'll be back in a few minutes," Arthur announced and left hurriedly.

Gwen watched him leave with a worried look. "I, erm... I also have a few things to do, so I'll..."

"Just go after him," Merlin encouraged.

Gwen followed Arthur outside, leaving Merlin and Livia alone with her unconscious neighbour.


	17. Chapter 17

Merlin sat at the table in the middle of Gwen's living room. He buried his face in his hands and let go an heavy sigh.

He had been close. He had been so close... How long would it be? How long would it be until he wouldn't have to lie any more?

He heard something fall on the table and then slide. He straightened up, and saw that Livia, standing on the other side of the table, had pushed the magic book towards him.

"I guess I should give that back to you," she said softly.

Merlin pushed it away. "It's supposed to be yours, you'd better keep it for the time being." He paused. "You read it, right? This morning, while I was gone?"

The witch shrugged. "I was bored... And curious, I'll admit."

Merlin remained thoughtful for several seconds, until he said abruptly: "You must think I'm crazy, stating that I don't want any of my friends to know, and then all of a sudden admit to it in front of all of them."

"No. Actually I think it can't be easy, having to lie all day long."

Merlin detected a hint of pity in her voice. How ironic. Here was that woman, condemned to the stake, with half the knights in the kingdom after her, and she pitied him...

He shook his head. He should have insisted more. He should have interrupted her immediately when she started pretending the book was hers to help him out. He shouldn't have allowed Arthur to think he was doing nothing more than rubbing in the fact that he'd been wrong.

"He's open to the idea, but he's not ready to hear it," Livia stated as if reading his mind, obviously speaking of Arthur. "He doesn't want to. Otherwise he would have guessed I cast a spell to write the inscription that convinced him in the end."

Merlin lifted the book's cover to check the writing Arthur had read there, and couldn't help but smile. "_Livia, may you find this book as useful as I have. With love, mom_," he read out loud. "Clever..."

"I... don't know how to take the writing off, though," she confessed.

Merlin's thoughts were brought back to their current situation when Gwen's neighbour whimpered. "We need to find the source of this curse, but we also need to find a way to cure it. As far as we know you're the only one around capable of casting the healing spell required, but you don't have the power to heal everyone," he summed up. "The only way to make it work that I can think of is by, somehow, giving you enough power to do it, like we did for Gwen but at a much greater scale."

He turned to look at the old man lying in Gwen's bed. There were so many sick people, it would probably take a lot of power.

"You're not saying anything," Merlin suddenly noticed. "Are you still worried about Dunstan?"

"No... I mean, yes, but..." Livia hesitated. "This whole thing is starting to take huge proportions."

"I know you were thrown into this by chance and didn't ask for any of it. But right now you're our only link with this dryad magic. We need you around."

"I know... But what I mean is... I'm not sure I'm willing to go that far."

"All right, then how far are you willing to go? Tell me what you want," Merlin invited.

"Honestly?" she asked with a snort. "Right now, I just want to go home. Be done with all of this. Back in that tunnel... I really almost left."

"But you had the courage to come back," he pointed out, "which means that deep down, you want to help."

"Oh, it's not courage that made me stay. I stayed out of cowardice. I didn't want to take that decision. Any decision. I chose to stay so that other people would decide for me..."

Merlin stared at her. He took that sort of decisions for himself nearly every day. But was it really his place to choose for someone else? If all she wanted to do was leave, then she should do so. But they still needed her to cure those villagers.

"If I find a way to provide you with enough power to heal all those people at once, will you do it?" he finally asked.

"Yes. But it won't work. Tapping your power alone ought to be more than enough, but I still wouldn't manage to heal more than one or two people per day. I'm the limiting factor. You need to find someone else who can cast that spell globally."

"There aren't any," Merlin stated. "And we don't have time to roam the kingdom to find another sorcerer with dryad heritage. I can try to find a way to directly increase _your _power temporarily, and in that case, will you do it?"

At that moment, the front door opened, and Gwen and Arthur got back into the house. Merlin looked at Livia with insistence, until she finally nodded in silence.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Arthur walked several yards away from Gwen's house and sat directly on the ground, his back against a wall. He banged his head twice before letting it rest against the wall, then closed his eyes and let go a long sigh.

He was getting too paranoid... Twice in under an hour, he had felt like an utter fool: once when he had believed Merlin to be a sorcerer, and once when he had realised he had wrongly accused him... And in the meantime, he had had to question and reassess so many things he took for granted...

He was tired, he needed a good night of sleep. He needed his father to give him a little more leeway. He needed Camelot to be healed. He needed all of this to be solved. He needed a break...

He heard someone sit next to him. When he opened his eyes, he saw it was Gwen. She wasn't looking at him, just sitting there in companionable silence. Arthur knew Gwen would let him be the first to talk, respecting the fact he may not want to talk at all. So they both remained like that for several minutes.

"My reaction was completely disproportionate," Arthur finally said. "I'm sorry I put all of you through it."

"It's all right. You're obviously distressed," Gwen answered.

So it showed, Arthur realised. Well, he was out there brooding, after all, wasn't he?

"The King is putting me under a lot of pressure," he explained. "He ordered me to find the witch before dawn... I don't understand why he's in such a hurry to find her instead of concentrating on healing the villagers... He seems convinced that once rid of her, the curse will disappear with her. I can't tell him that the fact she escaped the very same night the disease started spreading really is a coincidence because I'm the one who got her out. I can't tell him she might not be responsible for the disease. I can't tell him we must investigate other options if we want to have a chance at stopping this. I have to juggle between my priorities and his without arousing his suspicion, which, believe me, isn't easy. We'd have to solve this whole mystery before tomorrow, but we have nothing yet, not even a lead... So when I come back empty-handed at dawn, he's going to be extremely displeased. Again." Arthur sighed heavily. "Sorry, I'm speaking too much."

"No you're not," Gwen assured. "I'm glad you're confiding in me. I don't always realise the sort of pressure you're under," she continued and delicately put her hand upon his.

Arthur looked up at her and they smiled at each other.

"When I found that magic book in Merlin's room during the searches... I expected anything but that... I didn't know what to think any more..." he whispered.

"You were probably all the more disturbed since you have practised magic yourself recently," Gwen suggested.

Arthur shrugged dismissively. "I barely gave a hand... And it was for a good cause..."

"Using magic for a good cause... You're beginning to speak like Morgana..." Gwen teased.

Arthur shuddered at the thought. "I have to concentrate and pay more attention if I want to have a chance at solving the whole situation. Merlin told me that witch's name at least half a dozen times, but when a man came at the castle's entrance asking to see her I had no idea who he was referring to... I had to see it written in that magic book to remember it was her..."

"Someone asked for her?" Gwen queried.

"Her fiancé apparently. I put him in the dungeons," he said matter-of-factly. When he caught Gwen's slightly indignant look, he added: "He asked for it..."

There was a lull in the conversation when they both fell silent.

"So, you really thought Merlin was a sorcerer?" Gwen spoke up again.

Arthur shrugged. "I don't know, it made sense..." From the corner of his eyes, he saw Gwen smile. "I swear, it did! You know how he sometimes disappears for hours. And no one knows what he's been doing in the meantime."

"And that can only mean he's been secretly worshipping some deity of magic..." Gwen teased.

Arthur glared at her as her smile widened. "He keeps defending magic."

"Morgana often speaks in favour of magic too, that doesn't make her a witch," Gwen pointed out.

Arthur sighed. "Well even if it's not magic, you have to admit there's something about him."

There was another short lull.

"Even if he had really been a sorcerer, come on, it's Merlin... Do you really believe he would have used that against you, or against the kingdom?" Gwen asked.

Arthur shrugged again. He had to admit, probably not.

"Actually," Gwen continued with a smile, "I'm sure that if someone like Merlin turned out to be a sorcerer, it may reconcile you with magic."

"If he really was a sorcerer, I would personally kick him out of the castle, all the way back to Camelot's borders and to this small village of his," Arthur replied stubbornly.

"But you wouldn't denounce him..." Gwen insisted.

Arthur didn't answer. He knew he wouldn't, he had proved it that very day. But he didn't want to say it out loud. That would be admitting to disregarding one of the kingdom's most fundamental laws.

"And what if _I_ were a witch?" Gwen asked facetiously.

"Please, don't joke about that..." Arthur requested.

"Sorry..." she apologised immediately.

Arthur looked at Gwen. Her presence was so comforting... He squeezed her hand lightly. He wished he could kiss her right there, right then, but he couldn't... They were out in the street, and even though there was barely any passer-by, they couldn't let anyone see them.

Gwen finally noticed his insistent look. "What?"

"Nothing..." he dismissed while releasing her hand. "We'd better go, we have work to do."


	18. Chapter 18

Arthur followed Gwen into her house. He noticed Merlin and the witch instantly fell silent as soon as they entered, but he decided not to give it any more importance than it probably had.

"So," he began. "Did any of you manage to find any clue today while I – who is this?" he suddenly asked, pointing at an old man lying in Gwen's bed. Had he been there the whole time?

"Oh, it's one of my neighbours," Gwen explained. "He has been affected by the disease and has no family to look after him, so I decided to take him in."

Arthur smiled. Her good heart never ceased to amaze him. If she could she would probably take in the whole city. "And what about letting... Livia heal him?" he asked, hoping he had gotten the name right.

"We thought about that too, but she can't," Gwen answered for the witch. "She's not powerful enough."

"Really?" Arthur questioned doubtfully, but chose to drop the subject. Whether she could heal that one man or not was completely irrelevant to him. "So, like I was saying," he continued, "any new information about what caused the current situation?"

"Morgana and I found out the southern area of the city has been distinctively the most affected," Gwen answered. "And right before you arrived, Merlin made a suggestion."

"What was that suggestion? Merlin?"

Arthur observed that his manservant remained rather silent and barely looked at him in the eyes. It would probably take a long time until his accusations were forgotten...

"Shops," Merlin finally said. "In the southern area. Selling cursed items."

Arthur nodded. "That's a very good idea," he concurred. "We should go over there and investigate. And even if it turns out it's not cursed items, I'm sure we'll find some sort of lead."

"I should stay here to look after him," Gwen said while indicating her neighbour. "I'm sure you'll do just as well without me."

"As you wish," Arthur agreed. "And that will allow you to keep an eye on... Livia. So, Merlin, with me?"

"Yes, Sire..."

Arthur checked but he couldn't see any hint of irony in Merlin's eyes. Had he really used the title to be formal, for once? "Let's go then."

With those last words, he left the house and headed for the south of the city, Merlin in tow. The farther they went, the emptier the streets got, until it looked almost like a ghost city. Soon, there was barely anyone around. The few people they met watched them walk by with an intense look, as if they wondered what they were doing there.

"Are you going to stay silent all evening?" Arthur suddenly asked Merlin, even though he himself wasn't being very talkative.

"As long as I don't have anything interesting to say, yes..." his manservant replied.

Arthur sighed. Well. If Merlin wanted to sulk, then so be it. He had already apologised for his mistake.

They had now nearly reached the castle's south wing's wall. The overall atmosphere was quite disturbing. They could hear people, mostly moaning in pain, hiding in their homes, but there wasn't a single living soul in the street.

From the corner of his eyes, Arthur noticed something in motion. And when he turned to check what that was, he was surprised to find... hens.

"Arthur..."

"Just a minute."

He took a closer look. There were five hens, and all five had either a wooden leg, a wooden wing, or some other part of their body turned into wood. This was getting stranger and stranger. Shouldn't this curse affect only humans?

"Arthur, I think you should really take a look at this..."

When Arthur turned at last to see what Merlin wanted to show him, he involuntarily took a step backwards as he discovered an horrifying sight. Close to the castle's wall were two wooden statues, dressed with Camelot's uniforms.

They both slowly walked closer.

"It's not cursed items," Arthur stated.

"How can you be so sure?" Merlin questioned.

"Because these are guards from the night watch, they're not allowed to leave their scheduled track. And I also doubt any of the sick animals over there did any shopping today," he added while pointing at the chicken he'd seen earlier.

Arthur took another step towards one of the statues. It was so incredibly life-like... Well, of course it was, but... it was really bone-chilling. It almost seemed like their eyes were moving and following them, but Arthur knew it was just an impression. Or at least he hoped, the other option was too unsettling.

"Do you think it's too late for them? Do you think they're... dead beneath?" Merlin asked.

Arthur shrugged. "Who knows... It's like they were stroke right there and the disease spread almost instantly... Look at their faces..."

The expressions on both their faces was the same: one of terror. They were staring down at their own hands and arms, probably as they watched with horror their skin turn into wood. Both faces were contorted and their mouths were open as if yelling in pain.

"It's the first time we find someone at the last stage of this disease," Arthur remarked. "Apparently it spreads at different speeds for different people, but in the area south of the castle, and especially around here, it seems to have spread the quickest..." He paused to look at the guards turned statues again. "I knew them... Seeing them like this is really distur-"

Arthur never finished his sentence. As if in slow motion, he saw one of the statues topple backwards, head first towards the castle's wall. It was thanks to quick reflexes only that he managed to catch it split seconds before it crashed onto the stones.

"Merlin!" Arthur scolded while he returned the statue into its standing position.

"Sorry, I just tried... I thought..." his manservant apologised.

"Well don't touch anything! Do you realise how much damage that could have done? Maybe we can still save them, so why don't you stop attempting to behead one of them and instead just leave them be?"

"Sorry..." Merlin repeated.

Arthur sighed, cursing inwardly at his manservant's clumsiness, until a detail in their surroundings suddenly hit him. On the castle's wall, close to the ground, those familiar openings blocked with metal bars. And then it all clicked.

"The cells... It's her... It's been her all along..." he whispered.

"Who?"

"The witch! We're right next to the dungeons! Look around, that's where this plague is the most intense, that's where it all started! She must have cast the curse last night right before I helped her escape!"

"It's impossible," Merlin countered.

"Why would it be?" Arthur insisted. "I told you, she has a political commitment! She keeps deceiving us to prove her point, to show us how useful magic can be! And it works! Why do you think she deliberately left her magic book in your room?"

"I have no idea..." Merlin replied hesitantly.

"Because she wants to mislead and confuse us!" Arthur argued. "Just like when she said she wasn't powerful enough to heal Gwen, then all of a sudden she is, and now she isn't any more and can't heal her neighbour! This is all absolute nonsense!"

Arthur's face dropped when he suddenly realised something.

"Gwen... She's alone with Gwen..."

Overcome with worry, he immediately headed back towards Gwen's house.

Merlin stepped in front of him to stop him. "Arthur, you need to calm down. I know you're upset, we've all been through a lot today."

"Merlin, get out of my way," he ordered.

"It can't be her! Come on, think about it!"

Arthur sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Give me one good reason to believe she's not the one responsible for this curse."

"All right," Merlin agreed. "If she really wanted to prove that point you're talking about, wouldn't she heal everyone instead of saying she can't? And what about Gwen? How did _she _get cursed one day earlier than everybody? They haven't been in contact until _you _brought Livia to Gwen to heal her!"

Arthur hated to admit it, but he understood what Merlin meant.

"There's no need to rush anything," his manservant continued. "Night is falling, and we all need a good night of sleep. I can go check on Gwen if you want, but you should go and rest. Tomorrow will be another long day."

Arthur let go another long sigh. "I suppose you're right. This can probably wait until tomorrow morning. But I still want you to go check on Gwen, and if anything -"

"I'll warn you immediately, I promise."

Arthur nodded. "Come wake me at dawn tomorrow," he ordered and, reluctantly, headed back towards the castle.

* * *

Merlin reached Gwen's street just as the sun was setting. And while he headed for her house, he saw a man walk out of it. He couldn't be sure from the distance, but it looked like it was that old man, Gwen's neighbour. And seeing how easily he walked, he was apparently entirely healed...

How was that possible? What had happened? Had Livia...

Merlin suddenly wondered if maybe there could be a hint of truth in Arthur's suspicions...


	19. Chapter 19

Merlin stormed into Gwen's house, and immediately spotted Livia at the back, alone. "Where's Gwen?" he asked her hurriedly, somewhat worried.

The voice on his left caught him off guard. "Gwen just left, she will be back soon."

Merlin turned to face his unexpected interlocutor. "Morgana? What... What are you doing here? Didn't you go back to the castle?"

"Oh, I did, just long enough to reassure Uther," Morgana replied. "Then I came back here. I figured Gwen hadn't planned on having any guests tonight but wouldn't dare to leave her neighbour alone. So I came to keep an eye on him, while she went to get some food and water."

Merlin nodded, but Morgana's reasons for coming back sounded rather flimsy. He suspected there might be another reason she didn't want to mention.

"Speaking of Gwen's neighbour, I just saw him walk out of here. He looked... healthy."

"Yes, Livia finally managed to heal him," Morgana explained.

Merlin looked at Livia, but she kept staring at her feet uneasily. "That's great news..." he eventually said. But had she really managed to heal him?

He had a really hard time believing Livia could have lied all along. When they had shared their powers to heal Gwen, her magic had felt so insignificant compared to his... Deep down, he was convinced she truly couldn't have healed that old man alone. But then, if she hadn't...

His gaze fell on Morgana again. A witch in her own right, even if she had no control over her powers. A woman who currently looked a little too tense for someone who was just waiting for her friend to come back.

Could Livia have used Morgana's powers to heal that man just like she had used his to heal Gwen?

"Merlin, would you mind waiting here until Gwen comes back?" Morgana asked. "I'm suddenly feeling rather weary, I believe I'd better get back to the castle to rest."

"Of course," Merlin agreed, noticing she did seem exhausted.

"Thanks. Good night, then," Morgana concluded and left.

As soon as she was gone, Merlin immediately turned to Livia, resolute to get some explanations.

"Why did you do that?" he demanded. When Livia remained hesitant, he insisted: "Come on, I know Morgana is a witch!"

"You do?" she asked with surprise.

Merlin sighed. "You shouldn't have let her get involved in this."

"But she wanted to try!" she retorted. "I didn't think it would do any harm, I was so convinced it wouldn't work..."

"Why wouldn't it have worked? It worked with me, so of course it also worked with Morgana!"

The witch frowned. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

That was when Merlin realised they weren't talking about the same thing. "About how you healed that man by tapping Morgana's powers...?"

She shook her head.

"But if you didn't heal him, then who did? And what was Morgana's role in..." Merlin didn't finish his sentence. He had barely started it when he understood. "Morgana? Morgana healed him?"

Livia confirmed with a nod.

"Alone? But how?"

"Once we were alone, she asked me for the spell. She said she wanted to make herself useful, so I told her the incantation. I honestly didn't think it would change anything, because of the whole dryad magic issue. So I figured I might as well let her try. And it worked," Livia finished with a shrug.

"Then that would mean Morgana has dryad blood too..." Merlin sighed. "No. I must have been wrong when I assumed it took someone with dryad blood to cast those spells. Maybe it just has to be a witch, and not a warlock?" he suggested, desperately trying to explain how both witches had succeeded where he had failed, but he knew this attempt at an alternative was absurd.

"No, I'm convinced you were right in the first place," Livia insisted. "I still have trouble to wrap my head around the concept of... dryad heritage, but... Something has been bothering me for a while now and it would make sense if we had this sort of... characteristic in common."

"All right, what is it?" Merlin invited, having absolutely no idea what she may be thinking about.

She hesitated for a second. "The Lady Morgana has... another gift..."

"Yes, she's also a seer, but I don't see how it would have anything to do with any of this."

Livia stared at him. "So you know she's a witch _and _a seer, and yet you never told her you were..." She sighed. "You know, I really don't get you. You both keep lying all day long while -"

"Anyway..." Merlin cut short. "The night you and Elias were made prisoners, she had a vision of guards from Camelot attacking your group, is that what you're referring to?"

Livia nodded. "When she came to visit me in the dungeons, the Lady Morgana thought Elias was my brother, while he's my cousin."

Merlin shrugged. "So she was wrong, what difference does that make?"

"You're missing the point. Elias and I grew up together, I _do_ think of him like a brother. How could she know that?"

"I don't know, but I still don't understand why it's upsetting you so much," Merlin replied. "She's a seer, isn't that what seers do? Know things they're not supposed to?"

"Yes but not that sort of things! That's not something you can see in a vision!" Livia exclaimed. "That night, I felt a presence. Why did I feel a presence? It's like she was there! I mean actually there, in my head! How else could she know that?"

Merlin was beginning to understand what she was hinting at: Morgana may have seen farther than a common vision thanks to a combination of her powers as a seer and of a special link due to both of their dryad heritages...

He had to admit he didn't know much about Morgana's family. All he knew was that her father had been a close friend of Uther's, but he knew nothing about her mother. Maybe Morgana took after her when it came to magical abilities...

Merlin noticed Livia was biting her nails nervously, and realised the current situation was thoroughly distressing her.

"All right. Then she has dryad blood too..." he finally admitted. "Well, what were the odds..."

Merlin suddenly wondered, indeed, what _were_ the odds... Having in the city two witches with dryad heritage the very same night an epidemic caused by dryad magic appeared... One not powerful enough to heal even one person alone, while the other... The other...

He eventually reached the conclusion he believed upset Livia so much.

"You think Morgana is responsible for the epidemic," he whispered with a shiver.

Livia remained silent. But he didn't need her to answer to know she thought Morgana responsible.

"No. No, no, no, she can't be! She has no control over her magic!" he reasoned, trying to convince himself just as much as Livia.

Livia snorted. "Is that supposed to be reassuring?"

No. Merlin refused to believe Morgana could have been the one how provoked that disease. And yet, slowly, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.

He remembered Livia had said dryads cursed people only when they felt threatened. Morgana had started to feel threatened from the day she had had that vision, realising she could have been one of those sorcerers, hunted by Camelot's knights.

Gwen was with her, discussing the sorcerers killed that night, when she had begun to feel sick...

And lastly, three levels above the dungeons in the castle's south wing, were the Royal chambers: the King's, Arthur's... and Morgana's, where she had been so worried about Gwen she had been unable to sleep, the very same night the curse hit Camelot...

Merlin sat down at the table and buried his face in his hands. "It _is _Morgana..." he admitted in a whisper, devastated. Then, suddenly worried: "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Of course not! I didn't want to upset her..."

For the first time, Merlin picked up on something in Livia's voice, something that had been there all along their conversation. "You're scared of her... You're scared of Morgana!" he exclaimed.

"Aren't you?" she asked back. "She cursed hundreds of people!"

"Morgana isn't a bad person, she didn't do it on purpose," Merlin objected. "So, she's powerful enough to cast a curse that affects hundreds of people at the same time. But I'm powerful too, you said so yourself, and yet you're not scared of me."

Livia sighed. "Men never get this. It's not just about power, it's also about control! Yes, you are powerful, maybe even more than you realise yourself. And... And that thing you did this afternoon to distract the guards, without any incantation, without even saying a word... I have absolutely no idea how you did it. But you obviously know what you're doing, so I'm fine with it. She, on the other hand, doesn't know what she's doing! Do you even realise how dangerous that makes her?"

In the heavy silence that followed, Merlin wondered: should he? Should he consider Morgana as dangerous while she hadn't intended to harm anyone?

"This has gone too far. I want to go..." Livia declared with a trembling voice and tears in her eyes. "You don't need me any more. If you need someone to cast dryad magic, she can do it. I don't want to stay here with her around."

Even though Merlin had briefly doubted her sincerity, he didn't doubt her any more. You couldn't fake that fear.

"You're not held here as a prisoner," he spoke softly. "You're free to go if you decide to. I would advise you to wait until the middle of the night to sneak past the guards and leave through the tunnel, but... You've trusted me until now to take the right decision, so please trust me once more and stay. I'm not sure we should encourage Morgana to practise that sort of magic if the need arises," he concluded with the dragon's warning in mind.

"Dunstan is somewhere in the city. I know you have other priorities but... if you see him, could you let him know I left? I'll wait for him at the... He'll know where."

Merlin nodded. "For the last time, please stay," he tried once more, but when she refused to look at him in the eyes, he knew it was no use insisting. She had already made her decision.

The front door opened, giving way to Gwen, coming back home, a basket of food in one hand, a bucket of water in the other. "Oh, Merlin," she said with surprise while dropping everything on the table. "I didn't think you'd come by again today, it's already quite late..." She paused when she looked at Livia and noticed her wiping her eyes. "Is anything wrong?"

"No... No, everything is fine, we're just all very tired..." Merlin explained. "Your neighbour was healed, he's fine, he went home. Morgana already went back to the castle, and I think it's high time I left too. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

* * *

Later that night, Merlin kept turning and tossing in his bed, unable to find sleep. He couldn't help pondering over his ominous discovery regarding Morgana's role in Camelot's current situation, trying to find some way to invalidate his conclusions. But as hard as he may try, he couldn't find any.

He also wondered a lot about the dragon's warning. It wouldn't be the first time the dragon warned him about Morgana, so why hadn't he named her this time? He had always believed the dragon to be blatantly exaggerating when describing Morgana as a threat to the kingdom, but he couldn't avoid finding a connection with Livia's own words.

_Do you even realise how dangerous that makes her?_

Merlin was beginning to realise that apart from those of the dominating, trying-to-overthrow-the-kingdom kind, he hadn't crossed the path of that many sorcerers. Had it biased his vision of magic enough to make him unable to evaluate dangerousness?

Morgana was without doubt the key to healing all villagers. But what should he do? Should he push Morgana to save them, all the while lying to her so that she wouldn't discover her original implication? Or should he follow the dragon's advice and let everybody die to prevent her from experimenting with her powers any further?

_Better hundreds now than thousands or more later._

The dragon's words kept echoing in his head like a bad omen.

Exhaustion finally got the better of him, and after hours of insomnia and inner turmoil he fell asleep at last. But when he woke, dawn was long past, and his awakening was both brutal and extremely unpleasant.


	20. Chapter 20

Arthur hurtled down the stairs, heading hastily for the Great Hall, where his father was certainly waiting for his report. And he was late... The sun had been up for at least an hour and the King had clearly stated he wanted the witch on the stake at dawn. And naturally, Merlin had failed to wake him in time...

There was a definite proof Merlin wasn't a warlock! If he were, he would certainly find a way to be up on time every once in a while...

"Sire, please accept my apologies for my tardi-" Arthur began while opening the Great Hall's doors. "-ness..." he finished to the empty room.

The King wasn't there. Could he be... late? That would be very unlike him. Uther Pendragon was never late. Perhaps some more urgent business had retained him somewhere? But what more urgent business could there be?

He decided to wait a little, just in case, and his patience was rewarded when, at least ten minutes later, the King finally entered.

"Arthur. I hope you come with good news," he said as he walked past him.

Arthur noticed he progressed with a slight, almost imperceptible limp. "Sadly, I don't, Sire. The witch is still at large."

"And why is that?" Uther demanded coldly. As he sat, he winced a little.

"I need more time. I will find her very soon," Arthur promised.

"There is no time! You must find her now!" Uther commanded while slamming his fist on the armrest. And as he did so, he winced again.

Arthur was getting more and more worried. "Is everything all right? Are you hurt?" he queried.

"I will be fine as soon as you find that witch," the King replied simply.

Arthur was a little puzzled by this answer at first, but suddenly it all made sense.

The King's distraction since the previous day. His obstinacy to find the witch so hurriedly. His lack of intervention himself. The slight limp. The stiff stance. The unusual way his right hand remained on his sword's pommel. The wincing.

"Your wish is my command, Sire. I will do my best to solve the matter before it becomes too obvious you are yourself affected by this curse."

"Affected myself? Don't be ridiculous!" Uther contested.

"Fair enough. Would you care to remove your gauntlets to prove me wrong, then?"

His father glared at him. "Watch your tongue, Arthur. I don't tolerate this sort of insolence coming from Morgana, and I will certainly not tolerate it from you."

"All I am asking is you remove your gauntlets and show me your hands," Arthur insisted. "If it turns out none is affected, then I will stand corrected. But otherwise, I think I deserve to know."

Uther hesitated a few more seconds, until finally, with difficulty, he removed his leather gauntlet with his left hand. As Arthur had feared, it revealed an entirely wooden right hand, stuck in a gripping position.

Well, at least he would have been right about one thing... Oh, how he wished he had been right about Merlin being a sorcerer instead of his father being struck by this disease...

After a few seconds of silence, Uther spoke calmly: "Find this witch and let her burn. This is all you need to worry about."

"You should have said something earlier," Arthur remarked.

"And what will that tell people? That their King is incapable of enforcing his own laws in his own castle? No. No one can know. I will _not_ let it be said that any sorcerer managed to reach me!"

"What about telling _me_? Or Gaius? He can help ease the pain," Arthur insisted.

"I don't need Gaius and his useless remedies!"

"I'll go fetch him right now, you can't stay like this with no treatment!" Arthur affirmed while turning to leave.

"You will do no such thing!" the King ordered, standing up abruptly.

Arthur sighed as he turned back to his father. "This is misplaced pride. Yesterday I found two guards who had entirely turned into wooden statues! That's what awaits you along with certain death if we do nothing!"

"Do nothing? Have you not listened? I believe I've asked you quite repeatedly to find the witch responsible for this!"

As Arthur was about to protest, he realised: yes, the witch... After all, why not? She had managed to heal Gwen. Despite her recent ridiculous claims about being unable to repeat the feat, he could probably bring her to heal the King – even if the latter wouldn't approve. The others would wait; his duty commanded him to care for the King first and foremost.

"I will be back with the witch within the hour, you have my word," Arthur promised.

"Good," Uther agreed as he appeared to relax. "In the meantime, I'll... go rest a little. It seems this... little argument has taken its toll on me."

Uther began to head out, but as he walked away, he swayed a little. Arthur spontaneously extended his arm for support, but his father pushed it away to continue past him. And yet, after advancing only a few other yards, Uther paused and rested his unaffected hand on the nearby table.

"Let me walk you back to your chambers," Arthur offered, but got no answer. "Sire?"

Still nothing. Uther remained immobile. Now really concerned, Arthur walked up to him, and found his eyes shut tight and his face tense, as if fighting the pain.

"Father?" he asked softly as he put a hand on his shoulder.

Without any warning, the King collapsed. Arthur managed to catch him just before he hit the ground.

"Guards! GUARDS!" he called.

Two knights ran in nearly instantly.

"Help me carry the King back to his chambers," Arthur ordered.

* * *

Arthur couldn't take his eyes off his father, laying on his bed, unconscious, his face contorted with pain. First Gwen, now his father... This was a nightmare. A nightmare he wished he could wake up from.

And as he watched his father, Arthur suddenly realised he was truly on his own now. No more guidance, no more orders, only his own decisions. But what if he took the wrong ones? What if he didn't manage to heal his father in time? What if his father...

No. He wouldn't allow that to happen. Not now, not like this.

He didn't care about the consequences or about what the King would think when he came about. He would bring the witch here, and she had better manage to heal his father.

"Stay here," he ordered the two knights. "Do not leave him under any circumstances, I will be back soon."

Once the guards agreed, he left the room. As he started to walk down the corridor, he saw Gwen step out of Morgana's room, an empty tray in her hands.

"Guinevere? What are you doing here?" he immediately hailed her.

Gwen seemed a little puzzled by his question. "I woke Morgana up and brought her breakfast, as usual."

"So you left Livia alone at your house?"

"No, she's not there any more, she left."

"What?" Arthur exclaimed. "When? When did she leave?"

"Last night. She said it was what had been agreed. I thought you knew," Gwen finished hesitantly as she understood he didn't.

Arthur gave a nervous laugh. "Oh the nasty deceiving little witch! I knew it! I should have gone with my first instincts and confronted her yesterday instead of listening to Merlin!"

"I'm sorry, it's my fault," Gwen apologised. "I shouldn't have let her go."

"No, it's me. I should have known better than to trust a witch," Arthur affirmed. "But if she's gone, then..." he began, his father's situation in mind. "She left through the tunnel, right?"

"I suppose," Gwen answered with a shrug. "Arthur, do you need any -"

"No," he interrupted, maybe a little too coldly, and went on his way, leaving Gwen standing alone in the corridor.

He had to catch up with the witch. First, because her fleeing was proof of her guilt. Second, because she was the only one who could heal the King – and the villagers, incidentally. And this time he wouldn't let her pretend there was nothing she could do.

She couldn't have gone too far on foot in a only a few hours, it should be easy. But there was one place he had to stop by before leaving.

"Gaius," Arthur called as soon as he entered the physician's laboratory, "I'm glad to find you here. I have terrible news. The King has been struck by the curse and has been hiding it since yesterday. He's currently resting in his chambers, but he's under a lot of pain. Could you go there and look after him?"

"Of course, Sire, I will go immediately," Gaius agreed, looking thoroughly concerned. "However, I must warn you I still have no cure to this disease."

"I know, I'm working on a solution. Just make sure he's still alive when I come back in a few hours."

Gaius nodded and left with some equipment. As soon as he was gone, Arthur headed for Merlin's room, where he found his manservant still sound asleep. He went back to the laboratory, grabbed a bucket of water – or at least he thought it was water, but if it was, it didn't look very clean – and emptied it over Merlin's face.

At last, Merlin woke up with a start.

"It appears we don't share the same vocabulary," Arthur began while Merlin was still trying to grasp what was going on. "So, in order to avoid any future confusion: _dawn_ indicates the moment right before the sun rises above the horizon. You know, the sun, that big shiny thing way too high in the sky right now?"

Merlin wiped some of the water from his face. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready."

"I'll give you two. Meet me in the stables, we're leaving."

As he left the room, Arthur heard Merlin wonder aloud: "We are?"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Merlin asked Arthur as soon as he joined him in the stables.

Arthur continued saddling his horse. "After the witch. She escaped last night. Which proves she's responsible for the epidemic."

"That doesn't mean anything," Merlin contested.

"Why would she leave unless she was guilty?" Arthur insisted. "Besides, my father has been hiding that he was affected by the curse too," he announced. Merlin seemed shocked by this information. "He needs to be healed soon. And as far as we know she's the only one who can do that."

"What if she refuses to come back?" Merlin commented.

"I'll bring her back by the scruff of the neck if I have to, but she _will_ heal the King," Arthur affirmed.

"And if she can't?"

"She can. But if she doesn't, that would only mean she refuses to. And refusing to save the King is high treason," Arthur concluded. "Come on, get your horse ready. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Instead of getting to work, Merlin remained thoughtful, chewing on his lower lip, as if he hesitated to say something.

"You shouldn't assume she left to flee the city. She left because I told her she could," Merlin finally revealed.

Arthur was dumbfounded. "You what? You actually told her she could leave?" he exclaimed.

Merlin nodded.

"And with whose authority exactly? Your own? Who do you think you are to take that sort of decisions?"

"I didn't think... I mean..." Merlin mumbled.

"You know what? Stay here, go back to bed, I don't care. You've done enough already. I'd rather not have you under my feet. I don't need you to mess things up any further."

Arthur grabbed his horse's reins and pulled it outside.


	21. Chapter 21

Merlin had to admit Arthur's parting words hurt him a little, but he knew he probably didn't truly mean them. Merlin was aware that over the last couple of days, between the concern about Gwen, the concern about Camelot, the brief but intense concern about his manservant being a warlock, and now the concern about his father's health, Arthur hadn't really had any chance to release the pressure.

Besides, he had deliberately chosen to reveal he had let Livia go because he knew it would upset Arthur. It had been a necessary evil to ensure he would remain behind. Because right now, he was the only one who knew who could actually heal the King.

The fact that Uther had been affected by the curse made sense, and it was another proof of Morgana's more and more evident role in this epidemic. His chambers were right next to Morgana's in the castle's South wing. And Merlin was now convinced that if Arthur had spent that night in his bed instead of watching over Gwen in her house, he would certainly have been cursed as well.

The entire debate he'd had with himself over the whole night was made completely irrelevant by the latest developments. With the King cursed, there was only one possible course of action. He had to get Morgana to heal the King. If possible before Arthur came back with Livia, lest Arthur takes any harsh measure against the witch. But he would have to tell Morgana as little as possible. She couldn't discover she was actually the one responsible.

Merlin knocked resolutely on Morgana's door.

"Come in," she invited. "Oh, Merlin," she continued when he walked in. "Are there any news? I was about to get down to the city to see if there was anything I could do to help."

"I'm sure there are plenty of people that could benefit from your help," Merlin admitted, thinking about all the cursed villagers, "but I believe there's someone here in the castle who requires your attention first."

"My attention? What is it you wish me to do exactly?"

"I know you're the one who actually healed Gwen's neighbour," Merlin revealed.

Morgana didn't try to deny it and only shrugged. "Knowing I have magic, I had to give it a try. And it worked. I can help all these people. Is that why you came here? Because there's someone here in the castle you want me to heal?"

"The King."

"The King?" Morgana repeated with surprise. "Uther is affected by the curse?"

Merlin nodded. Morgana stared in the distance for a few seconds, and then... chuckled.

"Morgana, there's nothing funny about this," Merlin scolded.

"Well you'll admit he got what was coming to him, after everything he's done to all these sorcerers over the years."

"But you'll come with me to cure him, right?" Merlin insisted.

Morgana shrugged. "Why should I heal him? He's done nothing but persecute and hunt down people with magical abilities. People like me. He's the one who forbid the use of magic. Let him try to deal with this curse without it and see how he fares."

Merlin was baffled. "You're not serious, are you? You would actually let him die?"

"If Uther dies, then Arthur will become King. He's a better man. He's more open to magic, he agreed to use it to heal Gwen. He'll change the law. And people like me won't have to hide any more."

"Morgana, you can't let that happen!" Merlin reasoned, terrified to see she was ready to let things unfold without intervening. Could he have been _that_ wrong about her?

"Why not?"

"Could you live with that death on your conscience, knowing you could have saved him? And do you really think Arthur will ever change the law if his father dies because of magic? On the contrary, he'll blame it for what happened! And things will remain just the same for you and for m-" Merlin caught his slip just in time. "- many other people."

Morgana sighed. "You're probably right," she finally admitted, though with obvious reluctance. "Let's go heal the King, then..."

It took them only a minute to reach Uther's chambers, right next to Morgana's. There, they found Gaius, taking care of the unconscious King. The court physician quickly told them about his patient's state:

"He's managed to fight the pain and hide his situation efficiently until today. But over the last hour it's spread at an incredible speed," Gaius said with concern. "I gave him the same drug as Gwen for the moment but we need to cure him soon. Arthur asked me to keep him alive until he came back, so I assume he has a lead. However, I don't think we have more than a couple of hours before it's too late..." he finished sadly.

"Thank you, Gaius. We're all extremely grateful for everything you do here," Morgana praised. "Would you mind leaving us alone with the King for a few minutes?"

Merlin could feel Gaius insistent look on him. He knew his tutor had guessed he planned on using magic to heal Uther, but he seemed puzzled by Morgana's presence.

"Naturally, my Lady. Merlin, as soon as you get the chance, come see me at the laboratory. There's something important I need to discuss with you."

"Of course," Merlin agreed. Whatever Gaius wanted to tell him, he apparently didn't want to do it in front of Morgana.

After Gaius left, Morgana asked the two knights to leave the room as well. Once there was only Merlin and her left, she walked closer to the King's bed. "Well. I suppose it's now or never... I hope I'll remember the incantation correctly."

Merlin remained silent and observed her quietly. He was quite curious to see Morgana practising magic at last. Apart from her visions, the rare times she had used magic were involuntary, so it should be interesting to see her use it with some control this time.

Morgana rose her hand above Uther and articulated slowly and slightly hesitantly: "_Toorhim farunka sitow!_" Then, she examined the result.

"It's not working," Merlin commented with surprise.

Morgana shook her head. "I don't understand. I did the exact same thing yesterday and that man was healed instantly... Let me try again. _Toorhim farunka sitow!_"

Still no result.

"This is confounding!" Morgana exclaimed. "Merlin, I assure you I'm not being uncooperative! I am truly trying to heal him!"

"I know, I believe you."

"Then what am I doing wrong? Maybe it's the incantation?"

"No, it's the right one," Merlin confirmed. When Morgana stared at him at his confidence, he explained: "Arthur and I were there when Livia healed Gwen. The incantation was the same."

"By the way, why don't _you_ try to heal him? Rumour has it you might be a warlock yourself..." she teased with a sly smile.

"Right..." Merlin dismissed. But in truth, he wasn't sure just how much Morgana was joking. He didn't know her well enough to be able to tell.

"So, what do we do, now? Morgana asked.

Merlin shook his head. He didn't know. He truly didn't know. He hadn't expected it wouldn't work, and he had absolutely no idea why it didn't. Morgana had already healed someone without anyone's help, so why couldn't she heal Uther today?

"Well, it seems nothing can be done here," he finally said with discouragement.

Maybe Arthur had chosen the right course of action by going after Livia, Merlin thought. Maybe with her magic and his, they'd manage to heal Uther just like they had healed Gwen. But he was greatly annoyed to see all his plans failing one after the other over the last few days. It was like he was missing some important information.

He was very tempted to go talk to the dragon again, but he already knew what he would say – or rather, what he wouldn't. And still, he knew he needed to discuss this with someone he could talk freely to. Someone who might bring some light on what he didn't manage to see on his own. Someone like Gaius.

"That's it? You're already giving up?" Morgana asked.

"Do you have any other idea?"

"I can keep trying," she suggested.

"All right," Merlin agreed. "I'll leave you to it, then. I'm not of any help anyway, and Gaius asked to see me."

"You could indeed leave me alone, but that would be a little hypocritical of you after your speech about how I couldn't let Uther die, don't you think?" Morgana accused.

"I know but... I should go, I'm sorry," Merlin concluded while turning to leave, wishing he could explain.

He immediately headed back to the laboratory, where he found Gaius waiting for him impatiently.

"Gaius, you said you had something important to tell me?"

"Indeed. I finally managed to find some information on dryads. Not much, though. I had to search through very old archives."

"That's great! What did you find out?" Merlin asked eagerly. Some hope at last.

"If my translation is correct, it turns out dryads normally live in communities. That's where they derive their magic from. Alone, with none of their peers in close vicinity, they are powerless. That means Livia's presence during the recent events wasn't an entire coincidence. It allowed whoever cast the curse to... well, cast it."

Merlin nodded. "And in turn, Livia only managed to use dryad magic to heal Gwen because of that other person's presence..."

The other person. Namely, Morgana... Who had failed to heal Uther because, Merlin could now guess, Livia had left the city...

"Now, all we need to do is find another person in the city with dryad heritage," Gaius continued, "someone capable of casting that curse, of even just the healing spell, and we'll have our culprit."

Before Merlin had the time to reveal he already knew who that was, they both jumped when the laboratory's door creaked.

"Someone's there!" Gaius exclaimed.

Merlin ran to the door and hurried outside, but he only managed to catch a glimpse of a colourful dress before it disappeared behind a corner.

Morgana.

What had she heard exactly? Merlin wondered anxiously.


	22. Chapter 22

Arthur dismounted his horse. He had found the tunnel's exit, shortly after the forest's edge. He quickly found clean and fresh footsteps. They were small, certainly a woman's – most likely the witch's. It had rained the night before, the ground was still muddy. It would be easy to follow the trail.

He walked along the track, pulling his horse behind him. Very soon, he caught sight of some smoke through the vegetation, in the distance.

A campfire.

He tied the reins to a tree and left his horse behind to walk closer silently. It was indeed the witch, sitting close to the fire on the border of a small clearing.

Arthur had to admit he was quite surprised to find her so soon. She had had more than enough time to go at least ten times as far from the castle as she had. So why had she stopped there?

When he walked even closer, she heard him at last and turned to him with a warm smile. However, the smile vanished instantly as soon as she recognised him.

She got up quickly. "Sire, what... What are you doing here?"

"You look disappointed. Were you expecting someone else?"

Livia remained silent and kept staring at him, probably waiting for him to explain his presence.

Arthur decided not to antagonize her right away, and to let her keep believing he didn't know about her crimes. He must not lose sight of the fact that she was a witch and could probably curse him in the blink of an eye. He had to remain careful.

He wished he could have taken at least a couple of knights with him in case he needed backup, but all were too busy in the city to be reassigned. For once he could really have used Merlin's presence...

"It wasn't very courteous to slip away like a thief in the middle of the night, like you did," he said.

She shrugged. "I know. I... I really needed to get away."

Arthur snorted. "How convenient, while there are still hundreds of people in Camelot who need help."

Livia shook her head. "There's nothing I can do about it. It's not my problem any more."

"Not your problem?" Arthur repeated with incredulity. "Are you making fun of me?"

"It's not, and it's never been," she insisted. "_You _made it my problem by helping me escape to heal your friend, promising me I'll be allowed to leave free if I did. And I did. I've tried to help for the others but it's no use. So now I'm leaving, like you promised."

"You're not leaving, you're _fleeing_, seizing the very first opportunity you get to do so! You're a coward," Arthur accused.

"Probably, yes. So? Is it a crime? Is there a law against it like there is against magic?"

Her answer took Arthur by surprise. He had grown up in an environment where the easy way out was never, ever an option. So seeing someone admitting openly to her cowardice and not seeming even remotely bothered by it was a little unsettling.

In any case, that was it. He couldn't take it any longer. Her lack of concern for the sick villagers was yet another proof of her guilt.

"I am usually a man of my word, but do you really expect me to honour my promise to let you go, after discovering everything you did?"

"Everything I did? I did nothing more than what you asked me to!" she exclaimed, upset. "If you have regrets or scruples about using magic, this isn't my problem either."

"My only regret is that my father didn't get rid of you and your fellow sorcerer as soon as you were caught," Arthur provoked. "Then no one would have had to go through all of this."

"You think I'm the one who cast the curse," Livia suddenly realised. "Why would I do that? Not to mention how?"

"I think we both know why you would do that. You want to prove that magic can -" He stopped abruptly and sighed. "Why am I even bothering to explain? You're going back to Camelot with me. Now."

"No!"

"Oh, believe me, you are," Arthur stated while unsheathing his sword. "I will drag you back by force if I have to, but you _are_ coming back."

Livia didn't seem very impressed by his threat. "I'm not going anywhere," she persisted.

Arthur walked closer, pointing his sword at her. "Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."

"Do you really expect me to come willingly knowing you think I'm responsible for the curse? I'm not that stupid. If you came here for justice then you might as well dispense it here and now. I don't really care much for a public execution."

"I'm not here to kill you, I -"

"Why not? Isn't that what you knights of Camelot do? Hunt and kill defenceless people like us?" she accused resentfully.

"Defenceless?" Arthur exclaimed. "You call yourself defenceless when you have that magic book full of harmful spells? If you can do only a fraction of what is in that book, then you're all but defenceless! You have magic. People like you are _never_ unarmed."

Livia gave a nervous laugh while tears started to well up in her eyes. "My magic book... Indeed... Oh, I should really have seen that one coming... That'll teach me to get involved..." Before Arthur could react to her last words, she continued: "Well, kill me if you want, do whatever you wish, but I'm not moving. I will _not_ go back_ there_ to end up on a stake, or worse!" she finished, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

Arthur was very tempted to tie her up, swing her on the back of his horse, and drag her back to Camelot by force. But she sounded like there was something in the city that she feared more than the stake or even death itself, and that was very disturbing. What had she meant by "or worse"?

In any case, he knew using menaces like he had, or resorting to force would lead him nowhere. She would obviously rather get herself killed than let him bring her back to Camelot. And if she died, he would have no more chance to heal his father – or anyone else.

He had to change strategies.

"All right," he said quietly. "Stay here and do nothing. But I should warn you: he's not coming."

"What?"

"The one you're waiting for. Your fiancé, right? He's not coming." He had clearly caught her attention again, but he could tell she didn't believe him. "Tall, dark haired, asking for you at the castle's gates, a little too hot-headed for his own good? I sent him to the dungeons. I'm the only one to know why he's there, so he probably won't get out before I order his release."

When Livia remained silent, staring at him, Arthur thought he still hadn't managed to convince her. But she finally spoke up:

"You know, I was probably right about you in the first place. Like father..." she began with bitterness in her voice, letting the accusation hang. "First menaces, now blackmail... What's next, bribery?"

Oh, she definitely knew where to stick in the knife...

Putting aside the fact that she was a witch and couldn't be dealt with like any other civilian, he had to admit he was resorting to means at the opposite of the values of knighthood. His values. Values he embraced and believed in. Menaces and blackmail, and to a woman, no less... That was everything he was fighting against.

But he remained silent. She _was_ a witch, and as such an outlaw. Still, though he would never admit it, he was beginning to experience a hint of doubt. Doubt in the righteousness of what he was doing and how he was doing it.

"He doesn't know anything about magic, he's got nothing to do with any of this," she continued. "He only came because of me."

"Probably but... it's not my problem, is it?" Arthur teased.

Livia pursed her lips. "Let him go. Your quarrel is with me, there's no need to bring him in it."

"I will let him go if you come back to Camelot and heal one person of my choosing who was struck by the curse," Arthur stated, deciding it wouldn't do any good to mention the person in question was the King himself.

"Just one?" she asked, and Arthur nodded. Livia hesitated for a few seconds, obviously pondering his offer, but eventually shook her head. "How can I be sure you _will _release him if I agree to do what you ask of me?"

"You can't. You'll have to trust me on this."

"Then I'm afraid we're in a deadlock, because I'm not trusting you as long as you point that sword at me."

"And I'm not dropping my sword because I don't trust you either. A deadlock, indeed," Arthur agreed.

"Are you afraid someone like me could overpower a trained knight like yourself?"

Arthur couldn't help smiling. After questioning his morality, she was now taunting his pride. That was clever, but he wouldn't fall into that trap. "I know it's not just about physical power. With that magic of yours, you would probably be much harder to handle than I can guess."

Livia stared at him for a long moment in silence. "That night, a week ago, when the group of sorcerers I was with was attacked by knights of Camelot," she evoked. "How many of us died?"

Arthur shrugged. "I don't know, a dozen..."

"And how many casualties among the knights?"

Arthur suddenly realised what she was getting at. There had been over thirty sorcerers gathered in that clearing according to Sir Alberic's report, but despite their numbers, absolutely no losses among the knights. A few concussions and bruises, but as far as he remembered, not even a single actual wound.

It didn't make any sense. Even outnumbered, that group of sorcerers ought to have done at least some damage. But none of them had used magic to defend themselves. And in the end, it had been as much of a massacre as if the knights had attacked unarmed civilians.

Almost unconsciously, Arthur began to lower his sword slowly. She had just made a really excellent point, and his doubts continued to grow. He wasn't sure what to think any more. This was a leap of faith. Did he really believe there could be people practising magic with no evil intentions? People who refused to use magic to harm or kill? People who could then be trusted?

"You were brought up to believe that magic was evil. So was I," Livia claimed. "But I was also brought up to believe that magic was good as well. You can't choose to have magic or not, no one can. But if you have magic, you can choose to use it for good. Magic isn't intrinsically evil, it's the sorcerer who -"

Arthur raised his hand to interrupt her. "I think I've heard enough of your propaganda for now. I hear your point, but you should really learn when to stop talking." He paused for a few seconds, then finally sheathed his sword. "Come heal that one person, and your fiancé will go free. Do we have an agreement?"

Livia nodded, but she still seemed to hesitate. "What about me? What happens after I heal that person?" she asked softly.

Arthur wasn't sure. He hadn't planned anything farther than curing his father. "You're a witch, and you know the law about that. Regardless of your good will or helpfulness, I can't promise anything," he answered honestly. A lot depended on how everything would turn out.

She nodded again, tears welling up in her eyes once more. She knew what he meant. He couldn't promise she would get out of this alive.

"And if I don't manage to heal that person? Will you still release Dunstan?"

"I'm not sure I understand. Are you still pretending you might not be able to heal anyone?"

"If I follow you and try to heal that person, promise me to free Dunstan no matter what happens. Even if I fail. That's all I'm asking."

Arthur was surprised by the bargaining, to say the least, but as soon as he agreed to her conditions, she, in turn, agreed to return to the castle at last.

And as they headed back towards the castle, Arthur started to worry about Livia's obvious defeatism regarding the healing. Even though everything was pointing to her, he was beginning to accept the idea that maybe she was telling the truth when saying she wasn't the one who had cast that curse. But then, who had?


	23. Chapter 23

Merlin proceeded from room to room, looking all over each of them, but invariably, nothing. He had decided to search all of the castle's rooms one by one for Morgana, with no success until now. He had gone around the whole castle twice already, including the catacombs.

He had even visited the dragon's cave, in case Morgana had found it by chance while looking for a place where she could be on her own. But all he had found there was the dragon mocking his vain efforts, insisting on how he had warned him not to get involved in the first place.

He reached Morgana's chambers once more, but they were still empty. He sighed, disheartened. He'd been searching the whole castle for over two hours now, but was still empty handed.

Where could she be? Where would she have gone to hide? What had she heard of his conversation with Gaius and what had she concluded from it? Since she obviously didn't want to be found, should he assume the worse: that she had guessed the role she had played in the curse?

Merlin continued to the King's chambers, where Gaius was taking care of him. Uther was still in his bed and in an awful state. The sickness had progressed to the point nearly all of his body had turned to wood. He looked worse than Gwen had at the peak of her contamination, right before they had healed her.

"How is he doing?" Merlin asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Not well," Gaius confirmed. "His situation is becoming more and more preoccupying by the minute. I'm not sure he'll survive more than another hour or two..." He paused for a second. "Did you find Morgana?"

Merlin shook his head. He had told Gaius about his discovery regarding Morgana's role before going after her, and his tutor had agreed she was part of the key to the cure.

"What about Arthur? Is he back yet?"

Merlin shook his head again. "Is there anything else we could do? Is there really no other way to heal him? Not even a potion or a spell? Even just something to slow down the curse's progression, in order to give Arthur more time to come back?"

"I'm afraid there isn't. I'm already doing everything in my power."

"But maybe I could -"

"I know you'd like to be more useful, but you don't have that sort of magic, Merlin," Gaius interrupted. "You just have to accept it."

Merlin sighed. "I should keep looking for Morgana. If I still haven't found her when Arthur returns with Livia, I'll heal Uther by sharing my magic with her, like we did to heal Gwen."

"Be careful with Morgana when you find her," Gaius advised. "If she understood she was involved in casting the curse, she must be extremely upset right now."

Merlin decided to continue his search down in the city. Morgana was nowhere to be found in the castle, so maybe she had sought refuge elsewhere. Though he hoped she hadn't left the city itself...

But to be honest, he didn't even know where to begin. Looking for one single person in an entire city was like looking for a needle in a haystack. While roaming around, he stumbled upon Gwen, taking care of some sick villagers.

"Gwen! Have you seen Morgana recently?" he asked immediately.

"Not since her breakfast this morning. Why, is there something wrong?"

Merlin shrugged. "No, everything is fine," he assured, hoping he sounded convincing. He didn't want to frighten Gwen uselessly.

"Merlin, there _is _something, I can tell. You look worried. I saw Arthur this morning. He was distracted and he seemed worried too. Come on, tell me, what's going on?"

Merlin shrugged again. "Nothing..."

Gwen sighed. "What are you both keeping from me? And why are you looking for Morgana? Is she in any danger?"

"No... No, she isn't... I... I don't know, I hope not," Merlin finally admitted.

"Do you need some help looking for her?"

"I suppose. Apparently she's not in the castle, and the city is too big to -" As he mentioned it, Merlin absent-mindedly glanced towards the castle.

And then, in that one glance, he knew. He knew where Morgana was. The one place he hadn't checked.

"Merlin?"

Without even thinking about it, he started running back towards the castle. There was no time, he had to hurry.

Behind him, he barely heard Gwen call: "Merlin!"

He was running like mad, bumping into some villagers on his way. Once in the castle, he rushed up the stairs, four at a time. When he reached the top of the tower, out of breath, he was relieved to see Morgana was still there. She was standing close to the edge, staring idly at the city down below.

"Morgana, don't do this," Merlin begged, panting, fearing about her intentions.

She didn't move. She didn't even turn to face him, and remained with her back to him.

"Morgana?" Merlin called again.

"It's me, isn't it? I'm the one who cursed all these people?" she finally said, barely audible.

So she had guessed...

"It's not your fault..." Merlin assured with a calm voice. He began to take small steps towards her, slowly, afraid she might jump.

"Yes it is. I almost killed Gwen..." Morgana insisted, her voice strangled by a sob. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"You didn't do it on purpose," Merlin continued. "You just need to learn to control your magic."

Morgana didn't seem to be listening to him. Instead, she kept on ranting. "I can't heal them... I can't... They're all going to die, because of me... Every single one of them... The children, the babies... It's my fault, it's all my fault..."

Her thorough distress was beginning to affect Merlin, but he tried to set it aside. "Arthur has gone after Livia. He'll bring her back, and then, with her around, you'll be able to heal them. We need to be patient and wait for them."

He continued walking forward. He was so close now he could almost grab her arm.

"I don't want to be like this... I don't want these powers... I don't want to be different..."

"I know, and I understand completely. Believe me, I understand more than you can imagine," Merlin assured her.

He extended his arm slowly in an attempt to catch her arm, but he had barely brushed against it when Morgana pushed him away roughly.

"Don't touch me!" she exclaimed as she turned to him at last. Her cheeks were soaking wet with tears, but the harshness in her eyes made Merlin take a step backwards.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be intrusive," he apologised.

"Of course you didn't. I mean, you understand completely, don't you? Maybe you even went through this as well. Because you're a sorcerer yourself," Morgana finished on an accusative tone.

Merlin couldn't help but notice it wasn't a question.

"Oh, please, don't look so surprised. You may have managed to fool Arthur and Gwen about the magic book, but not me, though I still had doubts until I heard you and Gaius talk. The book is yours, not Livia's. I saw her mutter a spell back in Gwen's house, but I didn't understand immediately it was only meant to convince Arthur it was hers."

She knew. She really knew. It was no use denying it now.

"I wish you found out differently," he finally muttered.

"Yes, me too," Morgana concluded and turned away from him once more.

While Merlin still found her dangerously close to the edge, he also noticed the strong resentment in her voice. "Morgana, please, move away from the edge," he requested.

"How long have you known that I was the one responsible for the curse?" she asked coldly, entirely ignoring his plea.

"I only found out last night," Merlin assured. "I swear I had absolutely no idea until I discovered you had healed Gwen's neighbour."

"So you already knew this morning, when you asked me to heal Uther?"

"Yes, I did," he admitted in a whisper.

"Go away, Merlin," Morgana demanded.

"No."

"I mean it. Leave."

She sounded so angry at him...

"I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Why not? That wouldn't be too different from what you've always done."

"I don't -"

"All this time, you knew about me!" Morgana interrupted while she turned to face him again. "You knew I had magic! But you never said anything about yourself!"

"Morgana, you know how it's like! How we have to hide and -"

"No, no more excuses! You've had a hundred opportunities. I even gave you another one this morning in Uther's chambers! But you never cared to mention it!" She paused and stared at him. "You're a hypocrite and a liar. You claim to be a friend, but you're nothing more than an opportunist! All you do is only what suits you the best!"

"No, I _am_ your friend!" Merlin protested. "Don't imagine for a second that I -"

"Shut up!" Morgana exclaimed as she burst into tears again. She continued with a trembling voice and an accusative tone: "I was lonely, and I was scared! And you knew it! You saw me come to Gaius nearly every night because of my nightmares! But still, you said nothing! Nothing!" She paused between two sobs. "Go away Merlin. You disgust me, I don't want to see you again."

Merlin was now on the verge of tears himself. Morgana's words were very harsh, but they hurt so much only because he could find truth in them. Had there really always been obstacles preventing him from revealing his powers to her, or had he just always been too much of a coward to say anything?

"Morgana..."

"I said go away!"

In the split seconds that followed Morgana's shout, some invisible force sent Merlin back to knock against a wall at least thirty feet behind him. He stood up with difficulty, a little concussed, only to see Morgana still staring at him angrily.


	24. Chapter 24

Arthur hurried up the stairs that led to the Royal chambers. The witch's pace was so excruciatingly slow that he'd had to pull her behind him by the wrist to make her keep up with him. The situation got them a couple of puzzled looks from several guards on their way, but he didn't care.

They finally reached Uther's room, and there they found Gaius, still looking after the King, true to his duty, as ever. When Arthur's gaze fell on his father, he had a sudden and uncontrollable feeling of revulsion. At his side, he felt the witch cringe and take a step back at the King's sight, covering her mouth with her hand.

Arthur averted his eyes. He was such an awful sight... And the expression of pain on his father's face...

"I'm glad to see you back, Sire," Gaius welcomed, "though I don't have any good news for you, I'm afraid."

"He's..." Arthur began in a whisper.

"Still alive, yes," Gaius completed. "But not for long." He paused to sigh. "I have exhausted every solution I could think of. So now it's entirely up to what you seem to have in mind."

"There's... something I'd like to try, indeed," Arthur confirmed.

Gaius' look switched to Livia. He had probably recognised her as the witch, and from there, understood what Arthur meant to do.

"Sire," the physician began, "as one of the King's advisers, it is my duty to warn you about the risks of practising -"

"Gaius," Arthur interrupted, "I'm absolutely aware of what I'm going to do. This is my decision and I will take full responsibility for it. However, I'd rather not drag you into this, so you'd better leave us for now."

Gaius observed him silently for a second until he nodded. "I see you've already made your choice. I'll be right outside if you need me," he finally said, and left quietly. On his way out, he cast another long look at Livia, but Arthur put it on the account of distrust.

As soon as Gaius was gone, he turned to Livia. "Come on, hurry up and get started," he urged.

"It's the King. You never said it was the King," she protested.

"He's just one cursed man amongst hundreds, it doesn't make any difference." But then he wondered: "Or does it? Does it make a difference to you? Are you refusing to heal him?"

"No! No, of course not, but he... He wouldn't approve of -"

"He's not in any condition to make that decision," Arthur interrupted. "I am. I'm the one in charge and I say you heal him. Now."

"But there's -"

"No. No more talking. Just do what you have to."

"The sickness is way too advanced..."

Arthur sighed. "Will I have to menace you again? You know, right now, my patience is extremely limited, so if I were you, I wouldn't push it."

The witch moved towards Uther's bed at last, raised a hand above him, and closed her eyes in concentration. "_Toorhim farunka sitow!_"

A small part of Uther's face – almost entirely wooden – turned back to flesh, but for a very brief moment only. Nearly instantly, it was wood again.

She took a step back. "It's no use. I'm sorry. I really am."

"You're not trying hard enough," Arthur accused.

"I warned you I might not succeed."

"Stop lying! You _can_ do this! You healed Gwen the other day!"

"No, I didn't!" she contested. "It wasn't me! Well I... I wasn't alone."

Arthur paused. "You're right! You're absolutely right! Merlin and I helped!" he exclaimed, filled with renewed hope. "So for this to work, do you need some... spiritual support? Then I'll do it! What was it again, joined hands and concentration?"

He extended his hand towards her, but she didn't take it. Instead, she just stared at it with a saddened look.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry but you've been misled. This won't help."

"Of course it will. It has to! Come on, let's do this!"

"I'm not the one you need to -"

"Look," Arthur interrupted. "I'm desperate, I don't have any other options. He's dying, and this is my last and only chance to save him," he insisted, but she still didn't move. "Come on, he's... He's my father, and I can't just..." He stopped and took a deep breath when he felt a knot in his throat. He would _not _show weakness in front of a stranger. "Please," he finally asked simply.

Livia sighed. "I'll give it another try, but... don't get your hopes up."

* * *

Morgana was looking angrily at Merlin while he stood up. "What are you doing here, Merlin?" she questioned.

"You know I'm here because of you."

"No, I mean here, in Camelot. Playing Arthur's little servant boy. Why? Why do you do that? What is your plan?"

"I don't have a _plan_..."

"I'm tired of your lies, Merlin!"

Merlin felt that invisible force push him back again, but this time it didn't take him by surprise, so he managed to resist it and remain standing. "I don't know what your intentions are, Morgana, but I will not fight you."

"Then leave _now_," she advised coldly while returning to her previous spot near the tower's edge.

Merlin was more and more worried about what she might do. At least, when her anger was directed at him, she was too busy to consider anything too harsh. He decided to risk his all.

"This is ridiculous. It doesn't have to be like this. We shouldn't be fighting, but working together!"

The very instant Morgana's gaze fell on him when she turned to face him again, he felt like strong iron hands were wrapping around his neck and squeezing, crushing until he choked.

"Too little, too late!" Morgana exclaimed furiously. "You chose your side long ago! Uther's side! Hiding in Arthur's shadow and betraying your own kind! And all that for what? What is it you're really after, Merlin?"

Merlin wanted to deny all of her accusations, but his throat was too tight. How was she doing that? She didn't know any spell, she had never learned to use magic! Did she manage to do this on instincts alone?

Merlin was suffocating. He had to stop her. But he didn't want to harm her either...

"_Woma tahi_!" he managed to articulate with difficulty.

A tiny whirlwind appeared right in front of Morgana. It was not much, but it was enough to distract her and interrupt her magic, and Merlin was released. However, she quickly recovered her concentration. With a wave of her hand, she sent a loose stone flying towards his head, but he ducked just in time to avoid it. The stone shattered on the wall behind him.

Morgana seemed enraged. "The other night, when I went to Gwen's house to see if I could heal her neighbour, I had plenty of time to take a closer look at that magic book of yours there. Would you like to check how good my memory is?" She raised a hand, her palm facing the sky. "_Pyrha Follius_!"

Flames appeared in her hand, burning and crackling. And when Morgana looked at them, she laughed.

A fireball. This was a fireball. Had she lost her mind? Merlin didn't recognise her any more. Was she was so blinded by her wrath that she would have no scruple going as far as killing him?

"_Mahili Quanta_!" he muttered.

A large amount of water materialized right above Morgana's head, and remained momentarily still until gravity took over. The impromptu shower managed to put out the fireball. However, soaking wet and water dripping from her hair, Morgana now looked angrier than ever.

"Morgana, let's stop this madness! I'm not your enemy! Come on, you know that! Don't you want to -"

Merlin gave up his attempt at diplomacy when he realised there was something really, really sharp heading right at him really, really fast. As soon as he concentrated on the projectile – an arrow conjured by magic – it continued its way is if in slow motion, which allowed Merlin to very nearly manage to dodge it. But it still cut his arm as it flew past him.

As for the second projectile, it took him completely by surprise. He yelped when it dug deep into his thigh.

"All right, this is _enough_!" Ignoring the pain, Merlin marched towards Morgana. "_Vierna Arhoot_!"

Morgana fell to the ground, a little more violently than Merlin had intended. When she straightened up, she wiped a few drops of blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry, but you're giving me no choice," Merlin apologised.

Morgana stood up, but after taking a few steps only towards him, she suddenly stopped right dead in her tracks with an eerie faraway look.

"She's here..." she whispered. "I can make this right..."

Merlin was puzzled. What was she talking about?

Before he could react, he saw her turn back and head resolutely towards the tower's edge once more.

"Morgana, no!" he cried anxiously.

Instead of jumping like Merlin feared, Morgana stopped close to the edge, and extended her arms towards the city below them. "_Toorhim farunka sitow!_"

Merlin had to avert his eyes when he was blinded by a sudden outburst of light that seemed to be coming directly from Morgana, from the instant she cast the spell.

* * *

Arthur couldn't believe what was happening under his eyes. In an amazing and impressive transformation, the cursed King was almost instantaneously restored to his normal self. Once the initial surprise was gone, he exclaimed happily: "It worked! You finally did it! See? Never loose hope!"

Meanwhile, Livia was looking down to her own hands with a puzzled expression on her face. "It's not me... I didn't do anything..."

Arthur approached his father to examine him. There didn't seem to be any trace of disease left. "Gaius!" he called.

The physician arrived immediately.

"It's done, we healed him," Arthur informed him joyfully. "So how is he? Will he be all right?"

Gaius took a few seconds to check the King's health, and then turned back to Arthur. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" he finally invited with a smile.

When Arthur looked beyond Gaius, he saw his father looking right back at him.

"Arthur? What am I doing here?" Uther asked in a whisper.

"Well, you gave us quite a fright, Sire..." Arthur replied with relief.

"What happened? I remember the curse, and the pain... But after that it's just – hey, what is this witch doing here?" he suddenly exclaimed, pointing at Livia who was trying to keep a low profile in a corner of the room. "Guards!"

"No, wait, she -"

"Take her away!" the King ordered as soon as the guards entered.

* * *

After several long seconds, the light subsided at last. Merlin found Morgana still standing in the same spot, immobile.

"Morgana?"

No answer.

He silently moved closer, just in time to catch her before she hit the ground when she collapsed.


	25. Chapter 25

Merlin looked at Morgana, lying still in her bed, unconscious. She seemed rather peaceful but was very pale.

"Ow!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"Sorry," Gaius apologised as he finished to bandage his wounded arm. "You look bad, you should go get some rest."

"No, I... This is where I should be right now," Merlin insisted, still looking at Morgana. He had things to sort out with her.

Gaius observed him silently for several seconds. "Will you tell me what happened on that tower exactly?"

Merlin hesitated. He wasn't very proud of how things had turned out, and what he'd had to do regarding Morgana. He shrugged. "Maybe later..." he finally said, and sat back on a chair next to Morgana's bed while unfolding his sleeve.

Gaius kept observing him. "I understand I might not always sound like the best person to confide in to you," he stated calmly.

"Oh no, it's not that..." Merlin contested. "I just don't feel like talking right now..."

"It's all right, Merlin..." Gaius assured him. "I've come to realise recently just how difficult it must have been for you to grow up with the gift of magic, while it had been so easy for me. And I think I know why."

"Because you've never actually ever been any good at magic?" Merlin teased with a smile.

"No..." Gaius replied, rolling his eyes. "Because back then, you didn't have to look for long to find people with whom you could discuss magic for hours. But nowadays..." He shook his head and sighed. "You need more contact with other sorcerers. I mean nice, decent sorcerers your own age, who would have more to offer than an old disillusioned man like myself."

Merlin stared at his tutor, surprised by his assertion. "Are you actually encouraging me to seek out other sorcerers? Despite all the risks it would imply?"

"I suppose I am," Gaius admitted, "though I can't say I'm happy about the danger it would put you in. But take that group of sorcerers Livia's a part of, for instance. They seem to have found a good balance by meeting every once in a while. I believe you could benefit from that sort of group as well."

Merlin had to recognise it had been easy to tell Livia some things he would have balked at discussing with Gaius. Sometimes, it was just easier to talk to someone you weren't afraid to disappoint...

"I'll think about it," Merlin agreed. "But what about her?" he continued while indicating Morgana. "She can't afford that luxury..."

"Well, naturally, as the King's ward, it will always be harder for her to fully come to terms with her gift..."

Merlin couldn't help but think about how unfair it was. And about how right she had been to be angry at him. She didn't have someone like Gaius to talk to, and he had denied her the right to talk to him. "Will she be all right?"

Merlin didn't like the way Gaius pondered his answer for several seconds.

"If I'm not mistaken, the cursed villagers were all miraculously cured because Morgana cast a healing spell at the scale of the entire city, right? And that was undoubtedly extremely draining for her, considering her current condition. I... hope there won't be any lasting damages."

"What sort of lasting damages?" Merlin worried.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Morgana isn't accustomed to using magic in a controlled way, and she must have had to push herself beyond her limits. That's why I fear there may be consequences..."

Merlin looked at Morgana again. He hoped it wouldn't be anything serious.

"I should get going, the King is expecting me," Gaius announced. "I won't warn him immediately about Morgana's state, but promise me you _will_ get some rest."

Merlin just nodded absent-mindedly.

Gaius sighed, shook his head and left, leaving him alone with Morgana.

After what had happened on top of that tower, Merlin wasn't sure where he and Morgana were standing any more. The damage done to their friendship might be irreparable.

The way they perceived magic was so different... The minute Morgana had a chance to have a look at his magic book, she immediately headed for the harmful spells, like the fireball. While he, on the other hand, always tried to use those spells advisedly.

Was that what the dragon kept warning him about when speaking of Morgana? That she was attracted to a darker side of magic? But in the end, she made the right choice and healed all the persons she had accidentally cursed... This had to mean she was a good and well-intentioned person, right?

Merlin sighed. He was tired, so tired... These last few days had been so exhausting... Slowly, he began to doze off.

He woke up to the sound of Morgana stretching slightly in her bed. He wondered briefly how long he had been asleep, unable to say if it had been only a few seconds or as long as a couple of hours.

Morgana finally opened her eyes. And when she looked at him, he didn't see any anger or resentment.

"Merlin?" she whispered.

"Yes, I'm here. How are you doing?"

"I... feel dizzy... Are you... What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to look after you. And, if you wish to, we can also discuss what happened between us. I think we should clear some things up."

"What happened between us? What are you talking about?" Her gaze became distant, as if she suddenly remembered something. "How is Gwen? Did you find a cure?"

Merlin frowned. "Gwen is fine. We healed her, don't you remember?"

Morgana shook her head slowly.

"What about what happened on the tower, this morning?"

She seemed puzzled. "I haven't been to the tower in a long time... Merlin, what's going on?"

"What is the last thing you remember?"

Morgana shrugged. "I came back here to get some rest after spending the day at Gwen's bedside. Why?"

Merlin sighed. This was probably what Gaius had meant by lasting damages. It seemed casting that spell had been so draining it had wiped out her latest memories...

"Morgana, this happened two days ago," he told her.

"Really? But then what happened in the meantime? And why don't I remember it?"

Merlin hesitated. Should he tell her hundreds of villagers, including Gwen, had been affected by a curse she had cast herself? Should he tell her she healed every single one of them after a rather violent confrontation with him when finding out he was a sorcerer?

No. He had a unique opportunity to make things right. He could spare her the guilt she had felt for casting that curse. And he could tell her about him the way he should have from the start.

"Have I been practising magic recently?" Morgana suddenly asked. "I have, haven't I? I can feel it... There _is_ something I remember... A feeling of... all-power... So pleasant and... appealing..." Then she looked down to her hands pensively, and smiled.

Merlin realised that maybe _that_ was what the dragon dreaded. To see Morgana fully aware of her own abilities. In any case, it was now or never... He gathered his courage and spoke up:

"Morgana, there's something I should tell you about me. Something I should have told you a long time ago."

"Oh, no..."

Merlin was taken aback by her reaction. "What?"

Morgana sighed. "I already know, Merlin," she confided.

"You do?" Merlin asked with surprise. "So you remember what we said on the tower?"

"No, Arthur told me."

Merlin paled. "Arthur knows? But he seemed to believe... I mean..."

"He warned me a long time ago that you might have developed... feelings towards me... I didn't believe him back then, but I guess I should have..."

"Oh, no! No, no, I haven't... No, that's not what I want to talk about! And Arthur was wrong about that!" Merlin exclaimed, unsure whether he should be relieved that she was mistaken or not.

"This is so embarrassing..." Morgana continued, apparently not listening to him. "I really don't want to hurt you, Merlin, but..."

"No, it's fine! I swear, I absolutely don't - "

He was interrupted by a light knock at the door. Gwen entered slowly.

"Gwen!" Morgana exclaimed. "I'm so glad to see you are fine!"

"Gaius warned me you were feeling unwell," Gwen explained, "and that Merlin might need someone to take over."

Morgana turned to Merlin. "So, Merlin, what we just talked about... It is settled, right?"

Merlin pursed his lips. "Yes, of course, but..." He sighed. This was no use. "Yes. I should get going," he finished, and left silently.

As soon as he was out, he rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes. After everything that had happened over the last couple of days, he was right back to square one. This was so disappointing and upsetting. Would he ever manage to tell the truth to anyone?

"Ah, Merlin, there you are!"

Merlin opened his eyes and saw Arthur, obviously initially headed for his chambers but changing his course to walk up to him.

"So, did you sleep well? Did you have a nice rest, while the grown-ups took care of the situation?" Arthur immediately mocked. "In case you're wondering, everyone was healed. Including the King."

"Yes, I heard," Merlin replied tiredly. He wasn't in the mood for one of his usual banters with Arthur.

"Oh, and I know what you're going to say."

"Really? Please, enlighten me, Sire..." Merlin invited, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You'll undoubtedly complain that's it's unfair that the witch was sent to the dungeons and condemned to the stake. Again. Because she helped curing everyone and almost certainly had no role in casting the initial curse," Arthur stated.

Merlin shrugged. "It _does _sound like something I could say..."

"Well let me tell you, no matter what you say, I will _not_ intervene and I will _not_ help her escape this time." When Merlin didn't react, he continued. "Tonight, during the changing of the guard around midnight, there will be a fifteen minutes gap during which a lone and inexperienced knight will be watching the dungeons. And I would hate for anyone to take advantage of that flaw to get her and her fiancé out."

Merlin frowned. "Are you... asking me to help them escape?"

Arthur sighed. "I'm not _asking_ you to do anything. I'm just pointing out some facts," he finished with an instant look. Which meant he _did_ want Merlin to help them escape.

"All right. I will _not_ take care of it, then, as you so subtly asked me to. I was looking forward to a good night of sleep, but I don't mind spending it _not_ rescuing people instead," Merlin concluded and started to walk away.

"Why are you limping?" Arthur called behind him.

Merlin froze and turned to face him again. He was tired, so tired of lying, constantly...

"Well, after you left this morning, I was so eager to get back to bed that I... slipped in the stairs." When Arthur smirked and made to speak, Merlin continued: "Yes, I know. Clumsy, useless Merlin, right?"

"Oh come on, no need to be so dramatic," Arthur said while giving him a friendly tap on the arm. Right where the magic arrow had cut him.

Merlin couldn't help wincing.

"Are you wounded?" Arthur wondered with a frown.

"No, it's nothing. Just a bruise I got in my fall," Merlin dismissed.

"It's not a bruise, you're bleeding," Arthur pointed out.

Merlin checked his arm, and his wound must have reopened because his tunic was stained with blood.

"Seriously, what happened?" Arthur insisted.

Merlin sighed, exasperated. "You want the truth? Fine! Morgana tried to kill me! There you go!"

Arthur extended his hand to put it on Merlin's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked.

Arthur removed his hand. "Judging from how delirious you are, I think you might be coming down with something," he stated. "Go see Gaius. And take the rest of the day off. As for tonight..."

"Yes, I know what I should _not_ be doing tonight..."


	26. Epilogue

Merlin evaluated the distance to the castle from where they had paused, close to the forest's border.

"I think we're safe, we're far enough from the castle," Merlin stated, then turned back to Livia and Dunstan. "Is it all right if I leave the two of you here? Will you find the way back to Raguenel?"

"Yes, don't worry, we'll be fine," Dunstan assured him. "Thanks again for getting us out of there."

"And, Merlin..." Livia chimed in. "I'm still not sure what it is you're doing here exactly, but... Whatever it is, you're doing it for all of us. I mean, all of us with magic. So, I think you deserve some thanks for that too."

"I'm not doing anything..." Merlin dismissed with modesty.

"You might not be entirely aware of it, but you are," Livia insisted. "In ten, twenty years from now, life will be easier for us. And that will be at least partly thanks to you."

Merlin shook his head. "Despite asking me to help you out, I know Arthur still believes all sorcerers are evil."

"Maybe he still does. But you can't deny he does a little less every day."

Merlin shrugged. He wanted to believe he managed to influence Arthur's vision of magic on some level, but sometimes... Sometimes he felt like nothing would ever change no matter how hard he tried. After all his efforts, he was still unable to tell the truth to anyone, and every sorcerer in the country was still hunted...

"You should get going if you want to be entirely out of reach when they send a searching party at sunrise," Merlin suggested, stifling a yawn.

Livia seemed to notice his current state of fatigue. "Before we go, a little advice for your tiredness: verbena, bee balm, and hawthorn. If you don't have any hawthorn, you can replace it by camomile or valerian. Let it infuse for a half hour, cast any simple calming spell on it, and drink it before going to bed. When you wake up, you'll feel fully rested even if you had only two hours of sleep."

"Wow. Well, I'll definitely give it a try. And if it works, I'll be extremely grateful tomorrow," Merlin thanked. "Where did you learn that? I don't think I have anything quite like that in my magic book..."

Livia smiled. "There are things you can't find in books. This particular recipe has been passed down from healer to healer for a couple of generations. I'm not supposed to give it away like this, but you really look like you could use it. Don't resort to it too often, though," she warned. "You don't want any of the side effects. Believe me, you don't," she insisted.

"All right, I'll be careful, thanks."

Merlin suddenly remembered what Gaius had told him earlier that day. This was exactly the sort of things he was referring to when saying Merlin could benefit from more contact with other sorcerers: new, useful knowledge.

"Just one last thing before you leave..." Merlin continued. "These... sorcerers' meetings... Do you know when the next one will be?"

"Nothing has been planned yet," Livia answered. "They don't happen on fixed dates, we only find out the day and place at the last moment."

"Wait a second," Dunstan intervened, taking Livia aside, "you're not planning on going back to those meetings, are you?

Livia shrugged. "Why not?"

"Do you really have to ask? After everything that happened over the last few days?"

The witch sighed. "Dunstan, we already talked about this..."

"They found you once, they'll find you a second time!" her fiancé insisted. "And when that happens, you might not be one of those that survive it!"

Merlin suddenly felt extremely uneasy in the middle of this couple's strife.

"I'm not in any more danger there than when I just walk down the street! Why do we keep having this argument over and over again?"

"Because you keep putting yourself into - no, that's it, I'm sick of this. You two talk magic if you want, but I won't hear any other word about it," Dunstan concluded and left them to sulk a few yards away.

"I'm sorry," Merlin apologised to Livia, "I didn't mean to create any tension between the two of you by bringing this up."

"Don't worry, it's nothing," she dismissed. "He'll sulk half of the way back home, but he'll grow tired of it before I do."

"He doesn't seem to approve your going to those meetings..."

She shrugged. "He doesn't always understand. But he tries, at least... And I can't blame him for worrying about me... So, you're interested in going to those meetings, after all? You gave some more thought to the fact that we could use a leader?"

"I admit I'm starting to consider it. Joining, I mean, not leading," he added hastily.

"Of course," Livia commented with a smile. "Still not the leading kind, I gather? Well, we'll see about that..."

"So, how do you know where and when to meet?"

"I'm only supposed to tell that to new members... Are you really serious about this?"

"I... think I am, yes," Merlin confirmed, still having Gaius advice in mind.

"All right."

Livia gave a quick look towards Dunstan to check his whereabouts, then stepped closer to Merlin and whispered a few words in his ear.

Merlin stared at her when she was done. "Really? It's that simple?"

Livia nodded. "Do you have any other question?"

"No, it was the only one." He paused briefly. "Well, I guess this is good bye then. I wish the two of you the best of luck, and a lot of happiness. Maybe we'll cross each other's path again some time in Camelot."

Livia shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't think I'll ever get back around here. Too many bad memories. And I guess I'd better stay as far away as I can from the Lady Morgana. As long as I'm away, she won't be able to use her dryad powers again."

"You're absolutely right," Merlin agreed. "Well, maybe I'll see you at one of those sorcerers meetings, then?" he suggested with a smile.

Livia smiled back. "Yes, maybe. Good luck to you too."

Merlin watched her join Dunstan and walk away with him. He couldn't help smiling when he heard them start to bicker about the meetings again. Dunstan might not approve everything she did, but at least he accepted Livia's magic.

He began to head back to the castle.

He hoped some day, he, too, would have the same as they had. Not having to hide. Being able to make a living of magic. Having someone to be entirely honest to.

But he knew he shouldn't complain. Morgana's position was even less enviable than his. He should consider himself lucky for the little he had. At least, _he _had the dragon's prophecy. _He _had something to look forward to. Morgana didn't.

He also hoped everything would turn out fine for her. He was still worried about the dragon's warning though. "_Better hundreds now than thousands later..._" Morgana might not remember it fully, but she had tasted the thrill of magic. She was growing more and more aware of her own abilities.

The dragon was wrong, he decided firmly. She had healed everyone, she _was_ a good person. The only thing she lacked was advice and guidance. Something he would offer gladly.

But would she react any better to the news that he was a sorcerer if he told her himself than when she had found out on her own? The more he thought about it, the less sure he was. He feared the harm was already done. She would still have all the reasons in the world to resent him for hiding the truth.

Had he waited too long? Was it too late already?

* * *

The next day, Merlin managed to finish his daily duties in no time, without even using magic. Livia's recipe had worked wonders, he hadn't had so much energy in months...

He headed for Arthur's chambers, carrying the prince's tunic for that evening's feast, all clean and fresh. When he knocked on the door, there was no answer, but he could hear voices coming from inside.

As he was about to knock again, the door opened and Gwen stepped out, looking innocent but also a little flushed. Merlin watched her walk away casually, gave a quick look to Arthur inside – he didn't seem particularly happy to see him – looked at Gwen again, and grinned.

He heard Arthur's annoyed voice: "Are you planning on remaining there in the middle of the hallway all day, or will you come in at last?"

"I'm not sure, let me think about this..." Merlin joked.

Apparently, Arthur wasn't in a very playful mood: he headed for the door and started to close it, with him still outside.

"All right, I'm coming..." Merlin capitulated and eventually walked in, closing the door behind him. "Here is your tunic for the feast," he announced.

Arthur picked it up to examine it. "Well, for once you seem to have managed a reasonably decent work..." he appreciated.

"Isn't it a bit ironic to have a feast to celebrate the end of curse?" Merlin asked while Arthur walked behind the screen to change. "I mean, we still don't know what happened and who cast it... Well, officially it's supposed to be Livia, but she 'escaped', so there isn't much to be happy about... We don't even know how everyone was healed in the end..."

"The villagers have been through quite an ordeal," Arthur replied. "Some have lost family or friends. They deserve a distraction, a moment to rejoice and let all of this behind them. Even the King insisted to maintain the celebration despite the witch's unexpected evasion. As for how everyone was healed, I have my own little theory about that," he concluded mysteriously.

Merlin frowned, taken aback by this assertion. "Really?"

Athur apparently didn't want to expand on the subject, and continued on his own train of thoughts. "After everything got back to normal yesterday, I had some time to think calmly about what everyone said or did over the last couple of days."

He paused. And when he spoke again, Merlin noticed he articulated every syllable slowly, as if choosing each word extremely carefully.

"Sometimes, a knight will stray from the path of righteousness and turn to evil. It's rare, but not unheard of. It's the exception to the rule, I suppose. No rule is infallible when it comes to human matters. So I guess there... could be a handful of good people practising magic. People capable of good deeds, but condemned to hide and act in the shadow because of the law. Selflessly, without ever getting any reward or glory." He paused again. "I'm not sure I could live like that."

This declaration was entirely unexpected. Merlin wasn't sure where it was coming from. Maybe choosing to resort to magic and having to trust a witch to heal hundreds of villagers – including his own father – had disturbed Arthur's convictions more than he thought.

In any case, even though he knew the praise to those few good sorcerers wasn't meant for him, Merlin chose to feel flattered anyway. Maybe some day Arthur would actually praise _him_ for what he was, but until then...

When Arthur stepped out from behind the screen, fully changed, Merlin decided it was high time for a new topic. "So, what was that with Gwen earlier? What was she doing here?" he teased.

"Well, first, this is none of your business," Arthur scolded. "Second, Gwen just came to bring me the magic book the witch forgot in her house. She didn't know what to do with it, and she was afraid of what might happen if someone found it there."

For the first time, Merlin noticed his magic book, laying on the table. His teasing smile vanished.

"I suppose Livia left in a hurry the other night but... you'd think she'd pay more attention to a precious family heirloom... Wouldn't you?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, probably," Merlin answered hastily.

It was his fault. He had completely forgotten about it. Gaius was going to kill him if anything happened to that book...

Arthur picked it up and started browsing. "She must be missing this book dearly... This is so full of useful things... I mean, look at this quite unique spell..."

Merlin gave a quick look at the page, and his throat tightened when he read the title. He knew this spell. He had used it once before. To save Arthur's life.

He was suddenly very aware of Arthur staring at him straight in the eyes, but decided he'd rather keep feigning interest in the book's contents.

When Arthur slammed the book shut, he jumped a little. Which seemed to amuse the prince.

Merlin finally mustered the courage to look back at him, his heart beating wildly.

When he least expected it, Arthur shoved the book into his arms. "Make sure this book finds its way back to its rightful owner. You never know when it might come in handy again," he concluded while walking away, and eventually left the room.

Merlin couldn't believe his ears. He had said _its rightful owner_, not Livia.

Arthur always spoke with great precision. And when he didn't, it was always deliberate.

He knew. Arthur knew he was a sorcerer. But he hadn't condemned him, Merlin realised, feeling like a great weight had suddenly been taken off his shoulders. Arthur's little theory about how everyone had been healed most certainly involved him, and even though he was mistaken, Merlin didn't care.

The praise _had_ been meant for him.

"I will, Sire. I will," he promised, grinning from ear to ear.

THE END.

* * *

Yes, this is over! (except for the possible **BONUS SCENE**, read below to learn more!)

I know some of you seemed to think there was more to come, but I'm afraid there isn't...

This could go on for nearly forever, but the main story arc is over, so I think it's better to stop now. And I also have other projects I'd like to concentrate on. But maybe I'll consider some sort of sequel (if you guys ask loud enough, I might hear you...). I can really picture Merlin meeting with other sorcerers, and I'm sure the new dynamic with Arthur knowing about him could be interesting to investigate. And I'd also love to watch Morgana's slow descent into darkness...

When I began writing this story, I imagined something mostly about politics and debates over one's vision of magic, but also with a good measure of Arthur/Gwen romance (since I started the story after seeing the "Guinevere & Lancelot" episode from series 2).

These themes have been tackled, on some level, but not as much as I had initially envisioned, especially the romance part. So I'd like to apologise to all those who were misled by the "romance" tag and expected more of it, I should probably have removed it along the way when I realised there wouldn't be as much romance as I'd thought.

The thing is, at some point, the story took a life of its own and started writing itself (if you've ever written a multi-chaptered story, I'm sure you know what I mean...). But I still like the way it turned out, even if it's not exactly how I initially saw it.

Anyways. I mentioned a **BONUS SCENE**.

My next project is working (at last!) on writing my own book. And in my own language, for a change... Since I hadn't written much in a long time, while writing this fic, I wanted to confirm that I was still capable of seeing a multi-chaptered story to its end, and to comply to some sort of daily/weekly writing schedule in order to post new chapters on a regular basis. I'm reassured about that.

But now, what I need the most, is **feedback about the writing itself**.

What are my strengths? My weaknesses? What did you think of the characterisation and/or storytelling? What should I really work on?

I'm ready to take any criticism as long as it's constructive!

Most of you who already left a review before have already done what I just mentioned. I'd like to thank all of you: your reviews were part of what kept me going, knowing that I was headed in the right direction! :-D

As for this part of the message, it is more specifically destined to YOU.

Yes, YOU, the silent reader.

YOU who subscribed to story alert but never left a review! (I'm not blaming you though, I do the exact same... :-p )

This is YOUR chance to let me know what you thought of the story! (if you read this far, you have GOT to have an opinion!)

So here is the deal: if I get enough reviews with constructive criticism about the story/writing (I won't lie to you, I'd really love to hit the 200 reviews mark! :-D), I'll post the **missing Arthur/Gwen scene** from this epilogue... (a scene that could make up for the lack of romance in the story...). You can of course send me a PM instead if you're not confortable with leaving your thoughts publicly in a review.

In any case, no matter whether you choose to leave a review or not, I hope you enjoyed the ride!


	27. Bonus Chapter

Here it is at last, as promised!

Sorry it took so long! But what was supposed to be only a bonus scene finally became a full bonus chapter, so I hope it was worth the wait!

Feel free to review some more! :-D

* * *

Arthur was in his chambers, standing next to the window and observing the city down below. The streets were alive with preparations for that night's celebration.

He couldn't help but think how lucky they had been. There had been rather few deaths amongst the villagers, which, considering how grave the situation had evolved, was nothing short of a miracle. Especially since he still wasn't entirely sure how everyone had been healed.

He was no fool. He might have been too glad to see his father cured at that moment to really pay any attention to it, but he could tell Livia hadn't done anything. She wasn't the one who healed the villagers. But if she wasn't, who was?

Who was there when Gwen had been healed? Who returned to her house the night her neighbour was healed? Who had been nowhere to be seen for hours and returned wounded once the whole city was cured?

Merlin.

It always came back to Merlin.

How did he get wounded? What had happened while he was away? Arthur didn't believe in coincidences. He couldn't believe Merlin could have gotten those mysterious wounds without being involved in the resolution to the situation.

The only explanation he could think of was that Merlin had found out who – or what – was responsible for the curse, and took care of it. But how? How could he have faced alone what was likely a powerful warlock or creature, unless he was...

The more he thought about it, the more obvious it became. When Arthur had confronted him, Merlin hadn't, at any point, denied being a sorcerer. He had let Arthur rant and had reacted only when being accused of betrayal.

But beyond the recent events, there was also this incomprehensible insistence to always accompany him during his travels, while his place was clearly not on a battlefield. Or was it? How many times had Merlin disappeared for mere instants during a fight, at the very moment some external event came to their help?

No, he really didn't believe in coincidences. There were way too many links to magic around Merlin for them to be random.

A soft knock at the door took him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he invited, convinced it was Merlin, though he didn't expect him so early.

Instead, he saw Gwen walk in slowly and hesitantly. He was surprised to see her there. She should have been with Morgana, helping her prepare for the feast. He was also quite surprised to see her carry a large and heavy winter coat while the bright late spring sun was still shining high in the sky.

"Guinevere, you look... preoccupied... Is there anything I can do for you?"

She took something out from under the coat. A book. Arthur recognised it immediately.

"Livia forgot this in my house," Gwen explained. "I was scared someone would see it and accuse me of witchcraft, but... I wasn't sure what to do with it... Maybe I shouldn't have brought this to you..."

"No, you were right," he assured her. "Don't worry about it, I'll take care of this," he promised and took the book from her hands.

Strangely, he wasn't surprised to find out Livia had forgotten her magic book. In fact, it made sense: the whole leaving it in Merlin's room story had always been a little hard to swallow.

He opened the book to check the handwritten note, flipped the page, and smiled. If the note had been written with a quill, he'd be able to see the ink through the page. He couldn't. It was as if the note had appeared by magic...

He flipped a few more pages until he stopped abruptly on one of them with a strange feeling of deja vu.

One more coincidence that couldn't be one...

"I should go, Morgana is waiting for me."

"Gwen, wait," Arthur called, discarding the book on the table.

When Gwen stopped and turned to face him, Arthur found himself unable to speak. He had put a lot of thought into this. After what had happened recently, or at Hengist's castle, he _had_ to do what was right. Even if it didn't _feel_ right. And it certainly didn't. But _right_ had become a tricky notion lately.

There was no easy way to tackle such a delicate subject. They were alone, and they might not be again before a long time. He should seize that opportunity to talk to her. But where should he start?

"I'd like to apologise for my behaviour over the last couple of days," he finally said.

Gwen frowned. "Apologise? What is there to apologise for?"

"In the kind of situation we have faced, I tend to forget about individuals. I arrogantly believe I know better, become directive and order people around."

She seemed amused by his declaration. "So? Isn't that what one should expect from their future King? There is no need to apologise about that."

"Yesterday I left you in the middle of the hallway without a word of explanation. It just isn't done."

Gwen smiled again. "Duty called, and judging from the results, it was certainly worth bending the etiquette a little."

Arthur sighed. There really was no easy way to say it. "What I mean is, my duty will always come first for me. This may seem insignificant now but this is bound to keep happening more and more as time goes by and I gain more responsibilities. There are things I wish I'd never have to sacrifice in the name of duty, but if I'm honest with myself, I know I will have to. And that might imply having to leave people behind and not living up to their expectations."

Gwen's smile had vanished slowly while he spoke. "Oh," she mouthed quietly. "I think I know where this is going. I'll save you the trouble of explaining any further, even though I can't say I expected this, especially after... I mean I thought we..." She paused and sighed. "Well, from now on I will make sure to remember my place, Sire," she stated with a quick curtsey. "I shall see myself out." With those last words, she turned and headed for the door.

"It's not what I -"

"Yes, it is!" Gwen exclaimed, turning around once more to face him. "Is it about Lancelot?"

"No, it's not," Arthur assured.

"Because I already apologised about that."

"It's _not_ about Lancelot!" Arthur insisted.

Yes, it was about Lancelot. Partly, at least.

Gwen shook her head and walked towards the door again, but froze a foot away from it. "Do you know what attracted me to Lancelot in the first place?"

Arthur suddenly felt nauseous. "No, and I'd rather not -"

"It's how honest he was about how he felt. It was refreshing. You, on the other hand, usually let your actions speak for themselves, and they do say you care, but your words..." She paused again. "I should go..." she concluded with a strangled voice, and reached for the latch.

"I'm saying all this because I _do_ care. A lot. Much more than a Prince should care for one of his subjects. And believe me, it breaks my heart to tell you this, but I have nothing to offer you. Not yet anyway. And it wouldn't be fair to keep you waiting and hoping when I'm not even sure myself such a time will ever come. You deserve to be happy, whoever that may be with."

Even if it was with Lancelot...

Arthur had always thought of himself as not being very good with words. He preferred actions. Gwen was right about that: he was better at showing than at telling. But this speech... It had come straight from the heart, and it felt _right_.

Gwen's hand dropped to her side. "I agree with you," she spoke slowly.

Arthur felt a pang. This was the closest he'd ever been to actually admit openly how he felt about her, and he had to say that deep down, he had hoped for a little more... opposition to his decision.

"You _do_ tend to order people around," Gwen continued, turning to face him again. "What makes you think you know better than me in that matter? Why don't you let _me_ decide for myself? Don't I have a say in this?" she asked, taking a few steps towards him.

"Of course you do," Arthur recognised, his heart beginning to beat faster. "But like I said, I can't promise anything about a close or even a distant future," he insisted, all the while stepping slowly towards her as well.

"What if I'm willing to wait anyway?" Gwen replied. She was starting to blush.

"It wouldn't be reasonable," Arthur argued, but stepped closer again.

"What if I don't care what's reasonable or not?" Gwen claimed, staring at him straight in the eyes with an incredible confidence.

Arthur's resolution dissolved instantly. He didn't care any more about what was supposedly right. This _felt_ way too right.

"Guinevere..." he murmured and picked up her hands gently.

Her cheeks turned from bright pink to full-blown red.

They were close. Way too close. So close he could smell the scent of her hair.

Out of a purely instinctive impulse, he bent down slowly towards her face. She didn't shy away.

When he was an inch from her lips, when he could feel her warm breath on his, when his heart was beating so fast he couldn't think straight any more...

A sudden knock at the door brutally brought him back to reality.

Gwen's hands slipped out of his.

"I shouldn't be here," she realised suddenly with worry. "If anyone..." She took a step back. "I should go."

Arthur straightened up. "Of course," he said with feigned understanding, but his current state of frustration was so strong he could barely keep his composure. Whoever was behind that door had better have a very, very good reason for being there. "I look forward to seeing you tonight at the feast," he finally concluded.

Gwen smiled, still flushed, and headed for the door. As she left, Arthur caught a glimpse of who had spoiled the moment.

Merlin. Grinning stupidly, as ever.

May have all the magic in the world, but still so desperately clueless...

"Are you planning on remaining there in the middle of the hallway all day, or will you come in at last?"


End file.
